Freespace 2: Devestation
by Cpt. Ritter
Summary: After Capella, the GTVA struggles to rebuild. However, something sinister is brewing in Alpha Centauri. Can the struggling GTVA muster the will power to tackle this new threat? Currently updating chapters and fixing small mistakes.
1. The 77th Swords

Disclaimer: Freespace 2 is the property of it's creators, not mine. I simply write this as a tribute to a great game that I still play today (I know, that's a really long time)

Squadron Members of the 77th Swords

Commander Christopher Manstein (Squadron Leader, Alpha 1)

Lieutenant Anya Mitchell (Alpha 2)

Lieutenant Louis Alba (Alpha 3)

Ensign Jack Johnston (Alpha 4)

Captain Amy Junique (Beta 1)

Senior Lieutenant Gordon Zimmerman (Beta 2)

Lieutenant J.G. Franz Albertz (Beta 3)

Ensign Alexander Junique (Beta 4)

Captain Nick Hothsteen (Gamma 1)

Ptah Lieutenant RaNah (Gamma 2, Vasudan Pilot)

Ensign David Truman (Gamma 3)

Ensign Nicole Farseen (Gamma 4)

_Time: 15:00 Hours, Galactic Standard Time_

_Place: Alpha Centauri Repair Yard_

_Location: Near Jump Node to Vasuda Prime_

Commander Chris Manstein was no stranger to conflict. He had served onboard the GTD Aquataine only a few months earlier in Capella. Since then he had been reassigned to the 77th Swords. The Swords were not the best squadron he'd ever seen, but they were diverse, and each pilot was one of a kind.

The Swords had been formed during the Great War, and were considered for just about any job. They had been everything from a bomber squadron, to a interceptor squadron, to a general space superiority squadron, and had even been a heavy assault squadron during the Capella Crisis. However, due to the severe economic crisis that had befallen on the GTVA since the loss of Capella, they were now flying ancient Ulysses fighters and using only the most basic weapons in the GTVA's arsenal, the Subach HL-7 and the tempest dumb fire rockets.

During the Capella Crisis the Swords had been almost wiped out. They were far from alone on that fact. However, the squadron's roster had been filled as part of the restructuring of the GTVA military. Their pilots had been drawn from the GTVA academy and other pilot training schools. There was one odd ball in the squadron, a Vasudan pilot by the name of RaNah. RaNah flew in a specially modified Ulysses. The assignment of a Vasudan to the Swords was not uncommon, officer exchanges being standard operating procedure even after Capella, but the duration of his assignment was new. He was scheduled to remain with the Swords until his next assignment, which was not listed anywhere, at least not in any files Chris had access to.

Chris banked his Ulysses around the massive repair ring that housed a badly damaged Orion destroyer, the GTD Inspiration. Off to his right was Lieutenant Anya Mitchell. Anya was a headstrong, darked haired woman in her 20s. Anya's combat record was almost non-existent, she had been assigned just as Capella had been lost, straight from the academy. An outspoken individual by nature, she spoke her mind, whether anyone cared to hear it or not. She regularly debated tactics with Chris. However, in the two combat engagements she had been in, she had been cold and calculating, never questioning his judgment during the fight.

Only Anya was with Chris on this routine patrol. Routine patrols generally never amounted to anything, making them the most boring assignments of all. The Repair Yard was almost defenseless, the only defenders being the Swords and a Vasudan Sobek corvette, the GVCv Megaurute. Right now, the Megaurute was slowly circling the repair yard, an old Arcadia Installation. The Arcadia was old and obsolete and in desperate need of repair. Most of the primary systems, communication, life support, and sensors, still worked but the secondary systems, the docking clamps, the tractor beams, numerous elevators, and even some systems Chris hadn't ever seen didn't work all the time. However, supplies for such a large project as the rebuilding of an Acadia installation were as rare as the sands of south Florida from Earth. In non-metaphoric terms, there simply weren't available. The station held air, and that's all that mattered to the GTVA.

The repair yard had four large Ganymede repair rings, each with a destroyer parked in it. A standard patrol counted as going to each ring four times in sequence. Chris glanced at his sensor board and noticed that the GTC Muridin, an Aeolus cruiser was departing for in-system patrol. Another three freighters were also busy dropping off their cargo, a monthly supply of basic provisions. However, he noticed something strange. A small subspace disturbance was beginning to form near the first repair ring.

"This is Alpha 1 to control," Chris stated through his microphone. "I've got an odd subspace disturbance near the first repair ring."

"Acknowledged Alpha 1," came the ever reassure voice of the control officer, safe on the installation. "Move in an give it a good scan. Our sensor system is acting up and not getting a good reading. It's probably nothing but the GTVA will have our heads if we don't follow procedure, especially with four destroyers in our docks."

"Roger that." Chris banked his fighter and activated his active scanners. He was only a few kilometers from the disturbance when the disturbance quickly expanded, becoming a full sized subspace vortex. An unmarked Fenris cruiser and a wing of Hercules fighters popped out of it. The Fenris immediately opened fire on the Inspiration.

"Alpha wing, those are pirates! Engage them."

"This is the GVCv Megaurute," the Vasudan commander on the Megaurute stated through the automated translator, "moving to engage." The Megaurute's large engines began to push the corvette into firing position.

Chris led Anya through the flak maelstrom that the Fenris was putting up, and then targeted the lead Hercules fighter. The Hercules fighter was another old fighter, much like the Ulysses, but it was much stronger, a true heavy assault fighter. To be honest, Chris would prefer to be flying the Hercs to the Ulysses any day. The Hercs were attacking the Battlehound as well. Chris opened fire with his primary gun bank, pouring red laser bursts into the Herc's shields. He also toggled the secondary trigger on his control stick, sending groups of eight tempest missiles into the Herc's depleted shields. The fighter exploded in only seconds.

Chris quickly shifted targets to the third Herc. Anya was already all over the second Herc. The third Herc dodged Chris's initial burst and abruptly turned toward Chris. However, Chris responded by ramming his throttles to full and using his afterburners to shoot past the Herc before the Herc could get a clear shot. He then turned his ship as fast as he could and opened fire, cutting through the Herc's shields and blasting both engine mountings off. The remainder of the Herc blew up in a fireball as the ship's powerplant blew.

The Megaurute opened fire just as Chris and Anya finished with the Hercs, it's large beam cannons cutting mercilessly through the Fenris's hull. After only a single shot from both beam cannons, the Fenris broke in half. "Megaurute here," the commander of the Megaurute stated. "Target destroyed, three escape pods have been launched, but are without power. Rescue shuttles have been deployed."

Chris made a single pass over the area in which the two chunks of the Fenris still resided. A few bodies floated around in space. The remains of the Fenris were dark, with multiple hull breaches. Atmosphere could be seen still venting into space. Beam cannons shattered the hulls of their target ships so violently that multiple exterior breaches were usually blow open, instead of just one at the focal point of the beam.

He didn't make another pass. Chris took a deep calming breath, and then turned towards the installation. "Control, Alpha 1 and 2 request docking clearance"

"Alpha wing, you have clearance," replied the control officer. "Report to the debriefing room on the double."

"Affirmative control."

Chris and Anya landed their fighters in their respective fighter racks, the automated system for doing so had long since stopped working. Technicians then helped both of them out. The techs would goes over the fighters with a fine toothed comb, cleaning every intake and every gun port. They would also re-install the guns and reload their tempest banks. Every time they went into combat, they could count on their fighters being well maintained. It was necessary to ensure nothing broke during combat, the fighters they were flying were built in the latter half of the Great War, decades ago.

Only a few minutes later, they were in the debriefing room, which was little more than a converted storage bay. The base commander was present, looking at a report on the video-screen. He motioned for them to sit without taking his gaze from the report.

The commander was a seasoned space veteran, having served in both wars with the Shivans. His hair was steadily turning grey, and their was a slight limp with one of his legs. Chris guessed it was a battle injury that had never fully healed.

"Commander, Lieutenant." The Commander spoke quickly, nodding to each in turn. "I must thank you two for the outstanding cover you two provided for the repair yard. We managed to save a few of the crew of the Fenris. They're in the brig now. I must confess, you've definitely proven your worth to this installation and the larger GTVA."

"Thank you, sir." Chris replied for himself and Anya.

"Now, why don't you two get down to the bar and get yourself a drink, tell the bartender it's on me."

"Yes sir." Anya replied enthusiastically.

Chris and Anya joined the rest of the squadron's pilots in the bar. When they reached the tables the squadron had taken Louis Alba passed them both a drink. Louis was a rather tough guy, built with muscle and not much else. Louis was known as the only guy who could go head to head with a Vasudan in a fist fight. The truth being, RaNah regularly beat him in such matches, but Louis refused to acknowledge it.

Sitting next to Louis was Jack Johnston. Jack was the youngest pilot the squadron had, only nineteen. Jack was still very much a rookie, with no lines on his face that told of how much combat the person had seen. Louis had taken Jack as his protege, teaching Jack everything he knew. Jack was a quick learner and a natural pilot. He was also a polite and reasonable person.

At the table next to Louis's sat Amy and Alexander Junique. They were siblings, Amy being the older one and a space veteran while Alexander was fresh from the GTVA Academy. Amy had seen too much death in her career as a fighter pilot, and it showed from her out of focus expression most of the time, on any normal posting she'd be on medical leave. Somehow though, when placed into the cockpit of her fighter, she was able to concentrate and do her job. Alexander was her opposite in more than just gender. He was outgoing and excited,young and inexperienced. He didn't realize how much his sister protected him.

Also at that table sat Gordon Zimmerman and Franz Albertz, busy drinking beer. Gordan was a lean figure who lacked any real muscle mass but always seemed to be able to bring a lot of muscle to lifting a heavy load. Franz was Gordon's longtime friend. They had been flying together since graduating from the academy. However, Franz was sometimes rather blunt, leading to a demotion once, though he flat out refused to the tell the story. Not that Chris couldn't look it up, but it didn't matter to him. All the pilots at that table were loyal, competent, and above all, willing.

The last table had the members of Gamma wing at it, Nick Hothsteen, RaNah, David Truman, and Nicole Farseen. Nick was a former squadron leader who had lost his whole squadron at Capella. He couldn't take the burden of command too well, so the GTVA had assigned him to another squadron as an assistant commander. The man didn't zone out much like Amy did, but the traumatic stress sometimes showed in combat, where he wouldn't always take the initiative. RaNah was leaning against the wall near the table because he was just too large to sit in a standard human chair. Since RaNah was Vasudan, all of the squadron had to always have their personal translators in their ears at all times. David Truman and Nicole Farseen were both fresh from the GTVA academy. They were both energetic and excited, ready to tackle the world. However, that's where the similarities ended, David was more of an introvert while Nicole would blurt anything she felt like saying aloud, and not even remotely care about the consequences.

"So, tell us about that juicy action." Louis stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Three Hercs and a Fenris drop out of subspace." Anya began. "We swoop down like bats out of hell and just beat the crap out of them. I blasted one, Chris got the others."

"The Megaurute cleaved the Fenris in two with it's beam cannons." Chris added. "It's a sad waste of life."

"Yeah, it is." Amy added, in a very distant voice.

"So what's next?" Jack asked.

"We..." Chris never got to finish his sentence.

The intercomm voice boomed. "77th Swords to the briefing room. This is a full squadron call."

"Well, let's go."

All twelve members of the squadron got up and jogged down the hallways, heading for the briefing room, leaving their drinks behind. They zipped their flight suits and buckled their helmets down as the headed for the briefing room. Something had happened, something big. That knowledge made them run faster.


	2. The Mystery of the Muridin

The briefing room was dimly illuminated by the main tactical display screen, causing the glow to shift from being red to green to blue. Chris was dimly aware of the fact, having spent so much time in this room. The base commander was standing in the front while the squadron filed in, taking their respective seats.

Once they were seated, the Commander began speaking. "Pilots, you're here right now because a situation has arisen. A short time ago, we lost contact with the GTC Muridin." The screen highlighted the icon representing the Muridin. "The Muridin is an Aeolus cruiser, with plenty of firepower. If a group of pirates were to capture her, it could easily compromise the safety and security of shipping in this system. Therefor, I'm instructing Alpha wing to investigate it's last known coordinates, Beta and Gamma will fly patrol around the Repair Yard."

"Commander," Amy raised her hand. "Why are we deploying two teams to guard the Repair Yard, and sending only one after the Muridin?"

"Safeguarding the Repair Yard is of the highest priority, just follow your orders." The Commander straightened his posture, typical when he was giving information rather than answering questions. The effect was noticeable on his voice. "If Alpha needs help, we've got the local Vasudan fighter wing to help them on backup. Check out the Muridin's homing beacon but be careful, we don't have any idea what happened here. Dismissed."

That was the signal for the pilots to race for their fighters. One by one, they launched from their respective racks. Chris, in his Ulysses, began downloading the jump coordinates from command. The download took only a few seconds and soon, the course appeared as a bright indicator on his heads up display. He led Anya, Louis, and Jack to the jump point and held position, charging up his subspace drives. He opened his wing comm channels, "Amy, Nick, keep watch over the fort until we get back."

He received two comm clicks indicating that Amy and Nick had understood his order. "Alpha wing, let's get ready to jump, call out readiness."

"Alpha 2 here, jump drivers charged."

"Alpha 3 here, ready to roll."

"This is Alpha 4, jump drives are powered sir!" Jack's excitement was evident in the tone of his voice.

"Jump now, go, go, go!" Chris stated over the comm.

The group entered subspace at the same time. Each fighter was in it's own personal subspace corridor to it's destination in-system. The destination would lead them to a dense asteroid field, were the Muridin's rescue beacon was broadcasting a cry for help.

XXX

Meanwhile, halfway across the system, a lone mercenary Leviathan raced away from it's pursuers, a small battlegroup of GTVA ships, the GVCv Sedfa, a Sobek class corvette, the GTC Pirate Killer, a Leviathan, and the GVA Asyut, a Vasudan AWACS ship. The mercenary cruiser was faster than the standard Leviathan and as such was slowly putting distance between itself and it's GTVA pursuers, moving closer to a jump point.

Just as the mercenary cruiser began to slow for a subspace jump, the Sedfa fired with it's forward beam cannons, and launched a volley of missiles. The beam cannons missed at the extreme range but two of the missiles struck, leaving homing beacons on the ship. Seconds later the mercenary cruiser entered subspace.

The GTVA fleet quickly reformed on the Sobek, and entered subspace behind the mercenary cruiser, tracking it's course and vector. It was headed for a dense asteroid field on the other side of the system. It was a simple matter to follow it into subspace. They'd only be a few seconds behind it.

XXX

Alpha wing emerged from subspace after spending a brief five minutes in subspace. Chris quickly reorientated his fighter and spotted an Aeolus cruiser ahead. He activated his transmitter. "GTC Muridin, this is Alpha wing of the 77th Swords, respond please." There was no response. "Alright Alpha, let's get a move on it. Redirect to you engines and get ready to dodge some rocks. We've got to get to the center of that field."

It took ten minutes of mind numbingly difficult flying to reach the relative safety of the inner part of the asteroid field, where few of the rocks seemed to reside. Chris slowed down as they got closer to the Muridin and re-transmitted his original message.

"Maybe they lost their transmission array?" Louis speculated.

"I already checked that Louis," Anya replied. "That system is fine right now. In fact, I'm reading no damage to any system."

"But then why is it dead in space?" Jack asked. "How could something like this happen. It's not a defenseless freighter, it's an Aeolus cruiser."

"Wait, I'm getting an energy spike from the reactor!" Anya shrieked and used her afterburners to get away, the others followed suit just as the reactor blew on the Muridin, sending all four Ulysses fighters flying off into space.

Chris woke to the shrill tone of damage warnings from his ship. He had no clue how long he'd been out. The world was a spinning mess as he struggled to focus. Finally, he was able to concentrate and assess the damage. It was all minor, and slowly repairing itself. He brought up his targeting system and checked his squadmates. They were all intact as well, all though one of the engines on Jack's ship was completely offline.

"Chris, you awake?" Anya asked. She sounded as if she was a bit shaken too.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Chris replied. "What the hell was that?"

"It was an explosion, duh!" Louis yelled. "Whoever set off the Muridin's gonna pay, they scratched my paint!"

"Shut up about your paint." Jack was obviously upset. "I've got a nasty bruise on my forehead and I've only got one engine. Engine subsystem is down to 23% efficiency and holding."

"Try giving a restart Jack," Anya stated.

"Already did," Jack replied. "But I'll try again." The remaining engine on his fighter sputtered out and came back to life. "No good mam, it's out for good."

"Unknown jump signatures boss!" Louis was calm again, knowing that his star pupil was injured.

"I see it," Chris replied. "Leviathan configuration, no IFF tags, I'm reading a bunch of antifighter beams on that thing. Three Perseus fighters for an escort."

"We can't handle that Chris." Anya was worried, judging by the tone of her voice.

"You're definitely right. "Everyone power down, keep passive sensors and comms on but shut down everything else." Chris started shutting down his systems, engines, weapons, shields, leaving only his passive sensor online. They couldn't even detect the Civilian cruiser moving toward the center of the field at the current distance.

"Hey, look at that!" Anya shrieked as the Sedfa, Pirate Killer and Asyut dropped out of subspace right on top of the Civilian cruiser. The Sedfa immediately opened fire, burning through the engine compartment of the cruiser. The Pirate Killer then took it's turn, cutting off the top radar tower. The civilian cruiser was dead in space.

"Attention Oberon," the Vasudan commander on the Sedfa stated over an open comm channel. "You are under arrest for unlawfully enslaving sentient beings against their will. Surrender, or we will take you by force."

"I will not give up my ship!" The commander of the Oberon replied in turn.

"You don't have a chance Oberon, this is your final warning."

"I would rather die."

"You won't have that chance. Omega and Sigma, launch. Disarm the Oberon."

Two wings of old Lokis fighters exited from the Sedfa's small fighterbay, racing for the Oberon. The Lokis swarmed the anti-fighter beam turrets, precisely shooting off the turrets with their disrupter cannons.

While Sigma and Omega were busy disarming the Oberon, Chris open a channel to the Sedfa. "This is Alpha wing of the 77th Swords, need a hand Sedfa?"

"That's quite alright Alpha," the commander of the Sedfa replied, "we have the situation under control. Please activate your transponders so we can see you. Stay on alert status in case we do."

"Alpha wing, let's power up again." Chris flipped the various switches and powered his Ulysses back up. It took only seconds for his guns to charge. The rest of his systems came online just as fast. He quickly activated his active scanners.

"Alpha wing," the commander of the Asyut began, "we are deploying a support craft to aid Alpha 4. However, we are detecting two wings of unidentified fighters inbound. Please join Omega and Sigma in defeating these fighters."

"Affirmative Asyut. Louis, stay here with Jack until the support vessel is in and out, then join us."

"Yes sir!" Louis replied.

"Anya, stay close."

"Don't worry, already on it." Anya replied.

Chris diverted some power into his engines and raced to where Omega and Sigma wings were already engaged with and equal number of Hercs. It was a fairly even fighter. The Hercs were tough but slow and the Lokis didn't really have the firepower to harm them, especially with one gun bank tied up with a disrupter.

Once Chris was close, he dived into the fight with his afterburner engaged. He zoomed in behind a Herc and pulled both triggers on his joystick, blasting the Herc to pieces in seconds. Two more explosions, signaled Anya's first two kills.

It was then that Chris's proximity alarms began wailing. Chris yanked his joystick hard and sent his Ulysses into a spin that brought him behind the Herc, just as Omega wing blasted it apart. Chris spotted Anya and raced back for her, blasting a Herc off her tail as she finished off the last Herc.

Chris gently looped his fighter back around and headed for the Oberon. Louis joined up with Chris and Anya there. Meanwhile, the Sedfa and Pirate Killer moved in to provide close cover for the Oberon.

"Hey Chris." Louis was begging for attention.

"What is it?" Chris replied.

"I'm close enough that I can see into the bridge of the Oberon! There's some idiot who seems to be screaming at me."

"Maybe he just doesn't like the way you look?" Anya snickered.

"Hey, that's insulting!" Louis quipped. "Anyway, he must've failed physics. Any idiot, and yes that includes me, knows that sound doesn't travel in space."

"He's most likely mad that we've shot his ship up."

"Yeah but it looks like he's tryin' to do sign language or something!"

"Maybe you should just look up." Anya bounced her fighter off of Louis's fighter. It was a gentle bounce, but still enough to make a really loud band inside Louis's fighter.

"Damn it! Someday." Despite the hostile intent of the sentence Louis was laughing.

"Okay you two." Chris interrupted. "Transport's here to pick up this trash heap. Time to head for home." Chris transmitted the jump coordinates to Anya and Louis and then engaged his subspace drives.

XXX

The debriefing was far more boring that the mission. The Base commander stood in front of the whole squadron and began his small speech. "You all did a fine job. While all the extra fighters around the repair yard was a little too much security and unnecessary, we still did a good job today. Alpha wing did locate the Muridin, but it was destroyed in a massive explosion that was most likely intended to foul any rescue attempt. Alpha wing also proceeded to aid a GTVA strike fleet in capturing a bunch of criminals and their modified Leviathan cruiser. Seems like a good day to me Swords."

"There will be a command briefing tomorrow mourning at 0830 hours." The commander finished. "I expect all of you to be there."

XXX

The squadron barracks wasn't much to look at. It had four rooms. One of the rooms was the squadron common area. The other three, were the respective bunk rooms for each flight. Labels on the doors identified them as Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Each bunk room had a small bathroom in them. The accommodations were less than stellar.

Chris sat at one of the four tables that were in the common area. The rest of the squadron was arrayed at the other tables. Gordon and Franz were playing cards at one of the tables. Anya, Louis, and Jack were sitting at the same table as Chris. Amy, Alex, and Nick occupied another table. RaNah, David, and Nicole were seated around the final table. RaNah was sitting in the only chair on the station he could. The chair had been made to allow RaNah to sit down and was adapted for Vasudan physiology.

"Chris," Amy began, "do you have any idea what this command briefing is about. Wouldn't that time be better off spent sleeping?"

"If command has something to say," RaNah replied, "it would be wise for us to listen. It could mean that we could have something important to do."

"Oh come on RaNah!" Louis stated forcefully. "You know as well as I do that nothing is happening."

"What about the rash of pirate activity in this sector recently?" RaNah pounded his fist on the table. "You would do well to teach you student this!"

"Command doesn't care! When was the last time a decisive order came from command. Not since Capella!" Louis rolled his eyes. "Maybe in the Galactic Vasudan Navy command is always patting you on the back, but you're talking about Terran Command."

"Your argument has merit, but doesn't change my opinion."

"It doesn't matter what any of you think!" Anya's voice carried throughout the room. "Either way we have to go to that command briefing. We might as well not argue about it."

"Amy, Nick." Chris stated quietly. "Take both of your wings down to the simulator room and have them run through a few simulations."

"Oh crap." Gordon dropped his cards. "Why bother?"

"I want all the wings to have equal readiness. Alpha has seen several skirmishes already in the past two days. You've seen nothing."

"Come on Betas, let's go." Amy stated as she and her brother got up.

"Gamma wing, suit up!" Nick stated this with a military like snap. He then led RaNah, David, and Nicole out of the common area.

"You know," Louis asked, "do any of you have any idea what really happened out there today?"

"Somebody rigged the Muridin." Anya replied with a shrug. "There reasoning is a mystery though, most pirate groups would die to have such a ship in their fleets."

"Maybe it was proximity triggered?" Jack suggested.

"That's obvious." Anya put her hand on her forehead. "My head's still ringing from that explosion. It just doesn't make sense, why not keep it."

"That's what I was thinking." Chris stated. "As you said, every pirate group in this sector would love to get their hands on a fully armed Aeolus cruiser. Whoever did this didn't need it."

"Which means..." Louis began.

"That we're dealing with someone," Anya continued, "who's got more weapons and equipment than they want us to believe. If they didn't want an Aeolus cruiser, then they must have enough ships to not see the use in capturing it."

"What a pity all that's left of the Muridin is space dust." Louis scratched his head. "But why?"

"I'm not sure if we'll know any time soon." Chris replied.


	3. Breaking Out The Big Guns

The very next morning, every member of the stations crew crammed into the main briefing room. The 77th Swords and the local Vasudan squadron, the 135th Fighter Group, were in the front row. Everyone looked tired and bored. Which was par for the course during the command briefings here.

The Base Commander entered at 0830 hours exactly. He was, as usual the last to enter. He walked through the center of the room, in between the two set of chairs. Once near the projector, he motioned for an officer to turn of the lights, and then turned on the projector. The projector show an image of the symbol of the GTVA.

"As you all know." The Commander began. "I called you here this morning to give you some news about the rash of pirate activity recently. So far, we have had three distinct acts of terrorism in the past two days. The first, was the raid on this yard yesterday. That raid resulted in minor damage to the GTD Inspiration. The second, was the mysterious sabotage and subsequent destruction of the GTC Muridin. The third, was the presence of a slavers cruiser near the sight of the Muridin's destruction. While each of these events were resolved, it has given us reason to strike at some of the more questionable civilian outposts in the system."

The Commander advanced the projector to show a diagram of a Typhon class destroyer. "To facilitate this offensive, we will be taking the mostly repaired GVD Hedette out of dock. Currently two teams are pulling the destroyer out of it's docking ring and working to bring all the systems online." He paused. "Mainly the beam cannons." He paused again to let all the information sink in. "Now, as most of you have probably guessed, this is illegal. So this operation must go flawlessly. As long as the Hedette stays in one piece, we can pull this off without command noticing. I've also asked the commander of the GVCv Sedfa to join the attack groups."

The Commander changed the image again. It now showed an asteroid outpost and an Arcadia installation. "We have determined that the Slavers are based out of this outpost they obviously think is unknown to us. The Sedfa and it's battle group will assault this area. They will be assisted by the 135th. At the exact same time, the Hedette and the Megaurute will hit the known pirate base, the Arcadia. Neither base is expected to be heavily defended."

The Commander turned the projector off and motioned for the lights to be restored. "Now, need I remind you that you are going to be engaging civilian personnel. No matter what their affiliation, you are to avoid needless killing. You can fire if fired upon but give them a chance to surrender. The 135th will deploy immediately to the staging area, where the Sedfa is already waiting to receive them. The 77th will be deployed to protect the Hedette until it launches. Once the Hedette is safely away, the 77th will jump to the staging area and dock with the destroyer. Suit up! Launch immediately."

XXX

Only minutes later, the 77th Swords were in their fighters and patrolling the area around the Hedette. Chris watched his sensors as transport after transport delivered supplies to the massive destroyer.

"Testing, 1, 2, 3." The Commander of the Hedette, Commodore Rex Hinton, stated over the comm.

"We hear you Commodore." Chris replied. "Enjoying your command."

"It's a welcome change Captain. I'm just not used to this damned Vasudan technology. I mean it works great, it's just weird." He paused, noting that he was on an open channel. "Anyway, Hedette out."

"Alpha 1 clear." Chris couldn't help but smirk, Commodore Hinton was an eccentric fellow. He fit in perfectly around here.

"I do not appreciate Vasudan technology being dismissed as 'weird.'" RaNah stated over the comm.

"Let it go RaNah. The Commodore and his crew just aren't used to it. If what you say about Vasudan tech is true... then we're gonna have a really hard time getting them off the ship once they get used to it." Chris hoped the attempt at humor would translate to the Vasudan.

"Vasudan technology is perfect for Vasudans, but you Terrans lack the ability to use most of it, given the widely varying physical characteristics of our two species."

"I'm going to beat you in the ring one of these days RaNah." Louis replied. "One of these days I'm going to get you."

"Come on Louis." Anya laughed. "You always lose."

"I've been training hard, next time I'm gonna get him."

RaNah then stated something that didn't translate over the comm.

"What was that RaNah?"

"I was just stating what a idiot you are." RaNah replied.

"Hey what can I say?" Louis paused for everyone to laugh. "I'm talented."

"Then how come you're always talking big and doing nothing." Nicole's voice was usually silent on the comms.

"Hey, I made lieutenant, shut up ENSIGN." Louis screamed the last word.

"You know she did beat you in that simulation a week ago." Jack added.

"Shut up Jack. I didn't give you permission to talk."

"So, since when could you tell me to talk and when not to?"

"Mutiny, it's all mutiny!" Louis laughed. "Chris... the squadron is mutinying against me! You can have them back now!"

A chorus of laughter echoed over the comm from the entire squadron.

"Chris," Amy stated, her voice shaking, "look at your sensor board."

Chris looked down and his eyes went wide. Over twenty subspace portals were opening up all around the Hedette. There were two wings of seven Boanerges bombers and a wing of Ares fighters. There were also two Aeolus cruiser dropping out of subspace. Chris turned his fighter toward the cruiser just in time to see them open fire on the Hedette.

"Swords!" The Commander of the base was screaming. "Defend the Hedette at all costs. Those bombers have more than enough firepower to cripple that destroyer."

"Beta, Gamma." Chris yelled. "Take on the group of bombers. Alpha, let's hit those Ares fighters. Don't be afraid to use your missiles. These are some of the toughest craft in the GTVA arsenal."

"Swords, we can handle the cruisers in two minutes." Commodore Rex Hinton stated. "We're powering up the beam cannons. We can get both of them in one burst. Buy us the time pilots."

Chris led his wing toward the Ares fighters. Unlike the bombers, the Ares fighters were going to mix it up with Chris and his wing. They were headed directly for each other. "Break, we can't take them head to head!" Chris yelled. He slammed his afterburners and moved up and away, just as many, many missile lock warning started blaring in his cockpit. He immediately threw his craft into a wild spin, dropping countermeasures.

"Good god!" Anya shrieked. It was obvious the Ares fighters had locked their missiles on her too.

Luckily for Chris, the missiles weren't the new Tornado missiles, but only the old Hornet swarm missiles. He was able to shake them all easily. He then dived back at the Ares fighters, spraying tempest dumbfires and Subach laser burst at the lead fighter. The lead fighter's shields held. Then the Ares fighters broke formation.

"He's all over me!" Anya shrieked as two Ares fighters got behind her. Her fighter jinked and rolled to avoid the near constant flow of missiles and the constant fire from 6 guns all linked together.

"Hang on." Chris replied and dived at the two fighters. He planted himself behind the two Ares fighters and opened fire with all of his weapons. The Ares' shields held for only seconds before collapsing. He then repeated the tactic on the other fighter.

"You're almost a man!" Came Louis's cry over the comm coupled with another Ares winking out of existence.

"This is 4, I need help!" Jack screamed.

"Already coming for you little guy. I'll make the bastard pay for getting on the tail of my buddy." There was a loud boom over the comm. "What an asshat! He had his rear shields down."

"Let's regroup and go..." Chris started to say...

It was then that the Hedette opened fire with it's heavy beam cannons. Each beam cannon hit dead center on each Aeolus cruiser. Both cruisers were vaporized as their hull plating disintegrated under the shear firepower. There wasn't even any bodies or debris. The remaining bombers quickly fled into subspace.

"Status?" Chris asked of his squadron.

"Beta flight is still good, nothing major. 5 kills to report." Amy replied.

"Gamma is damaged but still functional. 6 kills to report." Nick replied.

"Good, Hedette, everything all right down there?" Chris examined the Hedette's hull as he asked this.

"Nothing that can't be fixed," Commodore Hinton replied, "thanks to some outstanding shooting by Beta and Gamma squadrons. I'll buy all of you a round of beer when this is all over. We're going to enter subspace soon. Dock up, then we'll depart."

"I'd be glad to Hedette. Swords, docking in the Hedette's starboard docking bay."

XXX

Minutes later, the Swords were assembled on the command deck of the Hedette for a debriefing. Commodore Rex Hinton spun around in his command chair, which was much to big for him. "Captain, your squadron did an excellent job today."

"Thank you sir." Chris replied.

The Commodore waved his hand around in the air several times, then hit himself in the side. "Don't call me sir. I really hate that. Call me... Rex. Some even call me T Rex." He paused to wait their incredulous looks. "This is all just a formality. Nice job... blah, blah. Whatever. All of you are dismissed. Your quarters are on," he spun around and checked a console, "O Deck, just above the docking bay. Feel free to take whatever you wish from wherever, just make a list, so we know what we have to put back when we're done."

The Swords filed out of the command deck and began walking down to O Deck.

"You know, that Commodore is a loony!" Louis spun his finger around his ear.

"You do realize that he's really nothing more than a hastily promoted cruiser captain?" Franz asked.

"So, does that mean anything. We've got the run of the ship. He just told us that." Louis jumped up and tried to touch the ceiling, which was too tall for him to actually touch it. "Damn it, RaNah, why do Vasudans make their ships so big."

"The answer is simple. We are taller than you are." RaNah's voice betrayed no emotion. The translator wasn't really good at transmitting inflection. But if Chris were to guess, RaNah was having fun mocking Louis.

"Louis, do you ever shut up?" Amy asked.

"Nope, what's it to you?" Louis's reply was quick and immediate, and without thought. "I just try and make the best of a tough situation."

"You don't even have a clue what tough is." Amy shook her head. "I watched the Shivans destroy a civilian convoy. And there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it." A tear came to Amy's eyes. She blinked it away easily.

"Yeah we know, all of the innocents died. Give it a rest, we stopped the Shivans."

More tears came to Amy's eyes. "No, personally I hate you Alba. If you were not a member of this squadron I would've killed you myself a while ago." She paused to collect herself. "And don't think that's an idle threat."

"Lay off Louis." Amy's brother Alex moved over to embrace his sister. Alex took only seconds before walking over to Louis. When Alex was only centimeters from Louis he said. "If you ever do that to my sister again, I'LL kill you." With that, Alex, Amy, Gordon, and Franz went ahead of the group.

Once they were gone, Nick turned around and punched Louis in the stomach. "Okay wise ass. What the hell was that for?"

"Hey, I was only joking Nick." Louis replied, clutching his stomach.

"Sure you were." He grabbed the younger man by his jumpsuit collar. "You listen to me fly boy. You ever pull that stunt again and you'll find yourself in a world of hurt."

"And if you ever even think about that again Louis." Chris added. "You'll be out of this squadron before you can be hurt. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." Louis replied, the smile gone. "I guess I owe Amy an apology."

"The hell you do!" Chris sighed. "And I want you to think real good and hard about that apology. You're confined to your quarters till 0600 tomorrow."

"Yes sir." Louis took off down the hall, leaving the remaining Swords standing there.

"What the hell is his problem?" David asked.

"Louis is a wildcard David." Chris replied. "That's the reason he's in my flight. He's been kicked out of seven other squadrons." Chris paused and shrugged. "This is his last chance."

"Do you think he'll change?"

"What we need is a war for survival. He was in the brig during the whole Capella crisis. If he had fought through that fight, he might have became a better person. Or at least one less naïve."

"Uhh, Captain?" Jack asked.

"Call me Chris, Jack."

"Should I really be a friend to Louis?"

Chris put his hands on Jack's shoulders. "Jack, Louis needs a friend like you. Just as long as you use your head, you won't become anything harmful by offering something like friendship."

"Thank you sir... er... I mean Chris."

"Good, now head down to your quarters and get some rest."

"I will." Jack headed down the corridor, followed by Nick, RaNah, Nicole, and David.

"Well, what are you waiting for Anya?" Chris raised his eyebrow.

"I knew when I first met you that you were a commander who could do more than fly a ship." Anya replied.

"To get my job, one has to manage the affairs of those under his command. You know, stop fights, referee them. Luckily, I've only got one trouble maker."

"Louis is a good pilot." Anya frowned. "He's just not a very good person."

"That's what I'm trying to develop in him."

Without warning Anya threw her arms around Chris and kissed him.

"What was that for?" Chris asked.

"A thank you." She smiled. "You did save my life."

"Anything else?"

"Well, let's just say that I'm not sure about the rest."

"You started it!"

"Don't even start with the you started it deal. You know you wanted it." Anya glanced around to make sure there were no observers, then kissed him again.

"Well, I'll admit I do find you attractive but... Anya, we are risking life and death every day. Can we really afford this?"

"It would give me something to live for. And if it came to it, something to die for." Anya's smile vanished at the last thought.

"One step at a time." He wrapped his arms around her and held her close for a few seconds before releasing. "We'd better get down to our quarters."

"Yes sir." Anya replied with a wink.

Chris laughed and was soon joined by Anya as they headed down the hallway.


	4. A Dark Conspiracy

The alarm sirens began to wail only two hours after they had arrived on the Hedette. Chris rolled off his bunk and fell onto the floor. He shook his head and quickly zipped up his flight suit. Then, as he grabbed his helmet, he exited his assigned quarters and joined the rest of the squadron as they ran to board their fighters.

Commodore Hinton's voice boomed over the vessel's intercomm. "All hands, this is not a drill. Battle stations. Hostile ships have opened fire on us. Swords, get out of the hanger immediately."

Chris settled into his cockpit and quickly initiated the power up sequence. His gauges came to life instantly. He waited for a few brief seconds as the maintenance crews loaded thei primary gun banks into the fighters, then rammed the throttle to full and shot out of the hanger.

He was unprepared for the battle outside. The 135th fighter squadron was already engaged with a swarm of fighters and bombers, all of the Erinyes and Artemis D.H. classes. There were two hostile Deimos corvettes and two hostile Leviathan cruisers. All were already trading beam cannon fire with the GTVA ships.

The Sedfa, Pirate Killer, Megaurute, and Hedette were stacked on top of each other. The Pirate Killer was busy using it's anti-fighter beams to shoot down the incoming bombers and their respective bombs, while the Sedfa and Megaurute were mercilessly pounding the Leviathan cruisers. The Hedette was left by itself to fend off the Deimos corvettes.

"Swords," Chris began, "fly point defense for our capitol ships. We've got to stop the bombers from getting through."

"We have engaged the fighters. Concentrate on the bombers." The Vasudan Squadron commander, Omega 1 stated as if reading Chris' mind.

"Anya, on my wing. Let's take out those bombers." Chris led his squadron toward the incoming bombers. He opened fire as soon as he was in range. His missiles and lasers ripped through the lead two bombers as he passed through the debris. He pulled his stick back and came up behind the bombers. He was joined by the rest of his squadron as they vaporized the remaining bombers in the formation.

"Chris," Amy stated, "I'm getting another subspace signal, it's an Iceni class frigate."

"Just as though our problems couldn't get any worse." Louis said with a moan. It was true, their luck hadn't been the best recently.

"Wait!" Anya's voice halted everyone's train of thought. "Look, it's attacking the hostile corvettes."

The frigate opened fire with all it's side beam cannons as it came to a halt directly behind the larger ships. It destroyed the first corvette outright in a single volley, and it caused the hull on the second corvette to break apart with it's second volley only a few seconds later.

The remaining cruisers quickly entered subspace, just as the frigate fired a volley of beam cannon fire towards them. It's shots missed as the cruisers disappeared. The few remaining fighters engaged with the 135th were the last to leave the area.

"Ehhh, unknown Iceni frigate identify yourself?" Rex demanded, though in reality his voice didn't carry as much command as it did confusion.

"This is the Cypher, the first ever frigate in the Terran navy." The commander of the Cypher stated proudly.

"But, you look like the Iceni!" Rex protested.

"Command thought it was a good idea to design a heavy corvette from the Iceni design, and here it is." Chris could almost see the Cypher's command beaming with pride. "Soon, you 'll see more of us, but we've gotta run, we're needed in Altair. Good Luck Hedette, SOC wishes you well." With that the Cypher entered subspace.

"What the hell was that?" Louis asked, baffled and confused.

"I really wish I knew Lieutenant." Rex replied.

"And what about that SOC wishes you well. They're SOC, which means their likely to be up to no good!" There it was, the humor coming back, situation diffused.

"Come on Louis," Jack replied. "The Hades rebellion happened years ago, and it's just frigate."

Suddenly, eighteen Ursa bombers exited subspace on top of the Hedette. "Pilots! Intercept them! Intercept them!" Rex was screaming.

The Swords and the 135th swooped in like vultures. They quickly destroyed most of the bombers, but not before a first volley hit the Megaurute. The explosive force of the bombs vaporized the front half of the Megaurute. The bombers didn't get another shot off, they were all destroyed in only seconds after the Megaurute transmitted it's final message. "We die with honor."

"Swords, you're on patrol." Rex ordered, having found his command voice again. "135th, dock with the Sedfa and prepare to proceed to your objective. Hedette out."

"What the hell was that?" Louis yelled.

"Apparently, it was a hammer to the enemy's original anvil, designed to destroy us in a trap." Nick replied. "The question is, how did they know we were going to be here and how did they acquire all those ships."

"Good point," Anya replied. "They can't be pirates."

"It appears that we are looking at an extremely well armed and equipped mercenary faction." The commander of the Sedfa stated.

"Does the GTVA actually sell it's newest weapons to mercenaries?" Amy asked.

"No. But over the past two years, massive amounts of the GTVA's military supplies have gone missing. While exact figures are not known at my clearance level, I know the losses are significant, and are part of the reason the GTVA is having trouble arming its pilots."

"And you never did anything about it?" Chris replied.

"Each theft is small and isolated. We have never been able to piece together the pieces of the puzzle." The Sedfa's commander paused briefly. "We were also unable to ever determine the fate of the remnants of the GTVA fleet after Capella. They were listed as MIA and supposedly lost to the supernova."

"Come on." Louis replied. "You're saying that you have never looked into the theft of... say two Deimos corvettes."

"Command looked into them, but we never able to discover their fates. They vanished. Each theft was generally covered up by some extensive pirate activity in the system. It is not unlike the pirate activity here in Alpha Centauri."

"Yeah, the only difference is that they're shooting at us here." Louis's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Okay, enough speculation." Rex's voice boomed over the comm. "I've just got the damage assessments, we're leaving in three hours for our targets. Swords, you're on duty the whole time. I want a constant patrol. You'll dock with the Hedette when we're ready to make the jump.

"Great, I never get bored of patrol."

"Put a cork in it Louis!" Amy snapped.

Surprisingly, that's exactly what Louis did. The patrol proceeded smoothly from then on out.

XXX

After completing three more hours of event-less patrol time, the Swords docked with the Hedette, which then parted ways with the Sedfa's battlegroup. Chris, Anya, Louis, and Jack swapped fighters for a wing of Vasudan Sekhmet bombers. The Sekhmet bombers were loaded down with cyclops anti-capitol ship bombs. They were also outfitted with the Mekku HL-7, the Vasudan equivalent of the Subach HL-7.

The Swords were briefed from inside their fighters as the maintenance technicians repaired and rearmed their fighters.

"Swords," Rex began, "our target is an abandoned Arcadia installation, which the local pirate group operates from. They've never caused us much of a problem before, and we're hoping that they'll surrender as soon as they see us. As soon as the Hedette slows down, we'll be launching Alpha wing, then Beta, followed last by Gamma. Alpha is flying a wing of Vasudan bombers. If necessary, they will destroy any hostile capitol ships, Beta will cover Alpha, while Gamma provides close in support for the Hedette. Any questions."

Silence was Rex's only response.

"Good, we'll be at the target area in a few minutes, hang tight until them."

Seconds later, the blue-white glow from the subspace corridor was replaced by the stars of Alpha Centauri. Chris wasted no time catapulting his fighter from the fighter bay. The rest of the squadron was right behind.

"Attention all vessels." Rex stated on an open channel. "Surrender at once or we will be forced to open fire."

"Alright, alright!" The Pirate Base commander replied, her voice trembled. "We stand down, please confirm, we surrender!"

"GTVA ships, hold fire, maintain defensive posture." Rex paused, switching back to an open channel. "Could you explain what in the blazes you've been doing attacking our ships?"

"What do you mean? We can't possible go toe to toe with the GTVA? Fine we're pirates but we don't go after military targets."

"Maybe I can clarify." Rex was hitting his stride now, making sure the pirates knew exactly who was boss. Well more likely, who had the bigger ship. "Two days ago, shipyard attacked by civilian issue Leviathan. Several hours ago, GVD Hedette attacked by two Aeolus cruisers and several wings of Boenerges bombers. Only an hour ago, GVD Hedette attacked by two Deimos corvettes and two Leviathan cruisers. You're saying that you haven't a clue what I'm talking about."

"Yes. We didn't do it. We currently have every ship we have here. Look around. Two old, beat up Fenris cruiser, and two wings of ancient Hercules fighters. Why can't you believe us?"

"Hedette!" Amy screamed. "I'm reading an incoming jump signature. Colossus configuration, repeat, Colossus configuration!"

"What the hell is that all about? Oh good God, this can't be. You GTVA shits, you've lead us into an ambush. Hook, Claw, get out of here."

"It's firing!" Claw 1 yelled, as the Colossus battleship opened fire. Several super powerful photon beam cannons plowed directly through the station. Another beam cannon cut through both of the Fenris cruisers. As the Pirate base began to explode. Four escape pods were launched.

"This is the Hedette, we're bugging out." Rex stated as the Hedette quickly raced into subspace.

"Swords, let's give Hook and Claw some help in escaping with their escape pods." Chris stated.

"Oh my god!" Louis yelled as wing after wing, squadron after squadron of Atremis bombers and Ares fighters poured out of the fighter bay of the Colossus battleship.

"Escape pods, head for the repair yard." Chris stated. "I'm transmitting the coordinates." He hit the transmit button on his navigation computer.

"GTVA pilots, please help us! Hook and Claw wings don't have secondary weapons equipped, there's no way they can thin that fighter wave." The Pirate commander was near begging. "Hook, Claw, help the GTVA pilots."

"Anya, Louis, Jack, deactivate your secondary weapon safeties."

A chorus of what's and why's replied to him.

"The cyclops torpedo has a safety so that it detonates on target. I want to manually detonate our torpedoes as the incoming fighters and bombers come at us. Let's line up." Chris positioned his wing in a line in between the escape pods and the rapidly closing fighters. "Wait for it."

Beta, Gamma, Hook, and Claw wings held position just behind Alpha wing.

"1000 meters." Anya shrieked.

"Fire at 750, detonate in three seconds." Chris yelled.

When the lead fighter of the swarm, an Artemis bomber, got to within 750 meters, Chris, Anya, Louis, and Jack launched a pair of cyclops torpedoes from all three banks in each of their ships. It took three seconds for the bombs to get in the middle of the incoming swarm, in which the bombs were detonated.

The explosive power of the bombs shattered the incoming formation. Destroying most of the fighters outright in the explosion. Beta and Gamma wings quickly darted into the fight, picking off the remaining fighters. Hook and Claw wings joined the fight less than a second later.

Chris pushed his throttle to full and targeted a wing of heavily damaged Artemis bombers and opened fire. His quad guns quickly vaporized the lead fighter. The other fighters were quickly destroyed by Anya, Louis, and Jack respectively.

"We've made it. Jumping out now!" The Pirate commander's relief was evident by the tone of her voice.

"All forces, jump out now!" Chris yelled. He transmitted the coordinates to Hook and Claw wings and then engaged his subspace drive just seconds after everyone else had vanished into subspace.

XXX

Hours later, the Swords, along with the members of Hook and Claw wings, returned to the Repair Yard. They were met with fanfare from the pirate base survivors. The GTVA personnel knew better. The rumors of what had transpired had long ago been passed on. A radical military force had appeared on the scene, and likely the Repair Yard would be the next target.

In the briefing room, the Base commander, Commodore Hinton, and the Pirate Base commander were waiting. The Pirate commander was a tall blond woman in her middle thirties. She was wearing a ruffled green flight jacket, which sharply contrasted with the tan dress uniforms of the Base commander and Rex and the black and red flight suits of every member of the Swords.

"77th Swords reporting." Chris stated as they entered the briefing room and stood behind their seats.

"At ease." The Base commander replied. "Have a seat all of you. Now, I've already heard everything that the Commodore and Miss Mindova have told me. I've determined that you performed exceptionally well under the circumstances. You managed to save over three hundred from the Pirate..." The commander paused, "Mercenary Base, but... I still cannot believe what Commodore Hinton has reported."

"You can check the sensor logs from each fighter in my squadron, they will show you that a Colossus Battleship entered the area and destroyed the station. It then launched a massive swarm of Artemis bombers and Ares fighters. We were able to hold them off long enough to allow the escape pods to escape un-harmed."

"And you did an outstanding job. Releasing the weapon safeties on your cyclops torpedoes was a brilliant maneuver, one that likely saved these people. However, that is irrelvant now. What does matter now is that if this Colossus engaged you, and that it will most likely hit here next. I've already sent a message to Terran Command asking for reinforcements. They promised that the GTD Aquataine and it's battlegroup. They will be here in a matter of hours. For now, I want your squadron to relax for a bit. I'll brief you more before your next mission. Dismissed."


	5. An Even Darker Battle

"Relax!" Louis' was lost to the crowd in the bar. "He told us to relax! How, I just saw a huge Colossus pop out of subspace!" Louis took a long swig from his drink, he grunted as it burned down his throat. The Swords were seated in their respective corner of the bar.

"Just shut up Louis!" Nick shook his head. "We need to keep calm, otherwise, we're never going to survive the next engagement."

"He said the Aquataine's coming." Anya replied, her voice soft. "That has to count for something."

"For what! It can't fight a Colossus!" Louis snapped.

"Louis, shut up before I confine you to your quarters!" Chris silenced the debate before it got out of hand. "We are not going to do this. This is not going to happen. We are the best fighter pilots out here."

"We're the only." Franz added with a laugh.

"Well, that makes us the best. It's up to us to keep this Repair Yard safe, no matter the cost."

"We all signed on for this." Alex nodded in affirmation of what Chris had said. "We all know the risks, but we can make a difference."

"Right." Chris laughed. "Spoken like a true ensign."

"Academy bull is more useful that you might think." Nick replied with a smirk. "And whether it's worth it or not, it's true."

"Now," Chris placed his hand in the center of the table, "together we fight, and if necessary, together we die." His hand was joined by the other Swords at the table.

"There is a Vasudan proverb," RaNah began, "it is spoken like this. It is kinder to die with someone else, than to live alone."

"Well spoken RaNah." Amy replied, a tear coming to her eye.

"I believe there is another proverb that may also provide some insight. To fight the dark, one must combat it with light. The light is friendship, companionship, and compassion."

"RaNah, why aren't you serving in a Vasudan squadron?" Jack asked, momentarily drawing attention away from the depressing topic at hand.

"That is a story of great length. I shall tell it another time. It is very painful to relive that memory. Excuse me." RaNah quickly left the bar.

"Trust me," Nick stated, "it's best not to ask him about it."

"Why, what could've happened that was so bad?" Jack asked.

"In the Vasudan culture, honor and trust of kin are paramount to one's status as a Vasudan. RaNah's father dishonored the family. He won't tell me how, just that it caused RaNah's mother to lose her position on the Memphis, and RaNah was removed from his Vasudan fighter squadron." He shook his head. "That's how he came to us."

"Damn. I wish I hadn't asked."

"Don't worry, RaNah didn't take it personal. I tell him your sorry. He'll understand."

"All combat personnel," the station controller's voice echoed over the intercomm, "report to your action stations. All fighter pilots report to the briefing room ASAP. Civilians are instructed to pack their belongings and take the transports to the Inspiration, Divination, and Vasuda. All Pirate base personnel, report to the Hedette. Mercenary fighter pilots, report to the flight deck for instructions." The broadcast repeated.

The Swords hastily got up and raced for the briefing room, dodging the endless horde of personnel and civilian running down the hallways. There, they reunited with RaNah and took their seats. The Base Commander came running in. "Good afternoon pilots. The evacuation preparations have been made. As you no doubt heard, the civilians are leaving on the GTD Inspiration, GTD Divination, and GVD Vasuda. Your job is to fly heavy patrol." He paused, advancing the briefing slides to show Alpha, Beta, and Gamma wings.

"We're pulling out all the weapons that we've been holding back on you guys for so long. You'll be flying the Herc IIBs. Simply put, it's a Herc II with a quad gun bank. The technicians are already loading your ships with Tornado and Harpoon missiles, there will be no reloads. You'll also had a bank of Prometheus S cannons, specifically the quad bank." He advanced the slides to show the entire defensive fleet.

"You're to patrol the vector that leads into the area, which has been indicated by a Nav Bouy. All ships have to drop out of subspace there, it is there that we're concentrating our defense. The Hedette will be providing beam cannons support and has also been surrounded by Alastar sentry guns, the guns have been programmed to target bombs first, then bombers, then fighters. Hopefully, that will enable you to successfully hold the line. I wish we had some Mjolnir RBCs, but we don't. We have no time for questions, get out there!" The Base commander hastily left.

"You heard him," Chris ordered. "Get down to the flight deck, let's go."

XXX

Never had there been so much activity at the Repair Yard. The Swords weren't the only fighters patrolling the area. The Pirate wings Hook and Claw were already stationed near the Hedette, still flying their Hercules fighters. The GVD Vasuda was maneuvering to make the jump to subspace, the GTD Inspiration and the GTD Divination had already left.

"Swords," Chris began, "run your fighters through some test maneuvers, get the feel for these things." Chris rolled his fighter around, noticing that it was slower that the Ulysses fighter he had flow previously. He then pulled his fighter through some turns, using his afterburners to keep the speed up. The Herc II was much larger, slower, and more heavily armed than the Ulysses fighters his squadron had been flying previously. "Swords, beware that this ship isn't as maneuverable as our Ulysses fighters, make your shots count and use your afterburners."

It was an agonizing ten minutes till the first contacts entered the system. Two squadrons of Artemis bombers and a Leviathan cruiser appeared right on the entry vector. The Hedette opened fire immediately, cutting the Leviathan into two neat pieces. Chris led the Swords down upon the Artemis bombers. "Save your warhead," he yelled as he opened fire. His prometheus rounds quickly knocked the shields off his first target and split the bomber in two. He then switched targets and was joined by Anya. Together, they tore the bomber apart. Several other explosions signaled that the Swords had engaged the bombers. Strangely enough however, the Artemis bombers didn't try and evade the Swords, but simply held their course. They were all destroyed before they could get close enough to launch any warheads.

"What idiots!" Louis yelled. "Flying straight and level."

"Something's screwy." Jack replied. "Hey was it just me or did anyone not see pilots in the cockpits."

"Hey your right. I didn't see them either." Amy replied.

"ROBOTIC SHIPS?" Louis yelled.

"What better way for a militant faction to try and take us down with, then to send machines to exhaust our weapons."

"Then it's a good idea that we saved our secondary weapons."

Their conversation was cut short as more subspace vortexes opened. This time, two Deimos corvettes and a full squadron of Erinyes fighters appeared. The Hedette fired both it's main beam cannons at both corvettes. The corvettes weren't crippled, but the Hedette had blasted the primary beam cannons off the corvettes. It gave the Hedette time to recharge it's cannons as the two corvettes turned to try and engage the Hedette from their sides.

Chris led the charge toward the Erinyes fighters. He fired a pair of Harpoons as soon as he had a lock on the leader. As he passed by the lead Erinyes, the two squadrons became intermixed. He rammed his flight stick hard to the right and toggled the afterburners, swinging his fighter's nose around quickly. He saw Anya copying his maneuver as he turned. He then fired his cannons at the Erinyes.

The Erinyes pilot dodged the shots, firing a few in response. Chris opened fire again as Anya fired a packet of eight tornadoes. The Erinyes pilot didn't notice them until they punched through his shields and caused the Erinyes to explode in a fireball.

Chris and Anya then joined Louis and Jack in hunting down one of the surviving Erinyes fighters. The Erinyes fighters hadn't stayed with each other and had been routed by the Swords because of it. Chris flinched as an orange beam from the Hedette narrowly missed his fighter as it cut a massive swath through one of the corvettes. Jack scored the killing blow with his guns as Chris and Anya got close.

When Chris looped around, both corvettes were silent and dark, both with massive beam cannon damage. All of the Erinyes fighters were destroyed and his squadron was still intact. They all had minor hull damage but their shields were quickly recharging. They reformed around the Nav Bouy, waiting for the next wave.

"Pilots," the Base commander stated, "we've got another minute before the Aquataine enters the area. You've done a terrific job." It was then that an Orion destroyer dropped out of subspace. It's beam cannons all targeted the Hedette upon entering the area. The Hedette returned fire, but it's shot failed to cripple the Orion. The Orion then released a second attack, which began to split open the Hedette's hull. The Hedette fired again as the first waves of fighters began to launch from the flight deck of the Orion destroyer.

The Swords raced into the fight, engaging the incoming swarms of fighters of all types. It was then that a massive subspace vortex opened at the jump node and the Aquataine, along with two Deimos corvettes and an Aeolus cruiser, raced out of it. They all opened fire upon the Orion, which quickly jumped back into subspace. Then the elite squadrons of the GTD Aquataine began to launch. The fighters from the Orion that had been left behind fled at the terrifying sight of these elite GTVA squadrons heading for them.

"This is the GTD Aquataine, here to assist." Admiral Petrarch's voice was legendary in the GTVA. The site of the magnificent Hecate destroyer filled Chris' heart with pride.

"Wooohooo!" Louis yelled. "I've never seen a prettier sight. Aquataine, we owe you one."

"Uhh, Repair Yard." Rex stated. "You wouldn't mind getting Repair teams to the Hedette, we're not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Swords, Hook, Claw, Hedette, you are heroes for the role you played in our defense." The Base commander was practically stuttering. "Fighter pilots, report for debriefing."

XXX

Minutes later, they were assembled in the debriefing room. Admiral Petrarch was standing next to the Base Commander. The Base Commander spoke first. "Thanks to you fine pilots, we've managed to stay alive through this incredible difficult battle. Despite the severe damage inflicted on the Hedette, you managed save the Repair Yard. With that, I'm personally awarding each of you, and that includes the new Raven squadron, made up of Hook and Claw wings, with the Distinguished Service Cross. But first, Admiral Petrarch wants to have a word.

Admiral Petrarch stepped forward, his posture rigid. "I personally congratulate each of you as well. You can now get some rest and relaxation as the Aquataine and it's battlegroup deals with this threat."

"Uhh, Admiral," Louis stated. "No offense, but are you nuts? There's a Colossus battleship lurking around the system."

"No one could construct such a vessel. Now, get some rest."

"I'm not lying!"

"Quiet Lieutenant. The Aquataine leaves in an hour." With that Admiral Petrarch left.

"What an idiot! He's dead. He's going to get his battlegroup destroyed."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Admiral Petrarch is wrong about this situation." The Base Commander shook his head, then tossed a medal to each of the pilots in the room. "Raven squadron, welcome to the Alpha Centauri Repair Yard."

XXX

Some time later, Chris found himself standing on the observation deck. He stared out in the unknown star clusters, wondering what Petrarch's fate was. He couldn't get Petrarch's arrogance out of his head. How could such a legend in the GTVA be true so stupid. It must've been Capella, the Aquataine had survived that meat grinder. Chris's home away from home, the GTD Hammer, had been destroyed with all hands by a Sathanas Juggernaught in the Nebula, before his transfer to the Aquataine.

He turned around to find Anya walking toward him. She had tied her black hair back and had unzipped her flight suit half-way, revealing her blue tee-shirt underneath. She embraced him as she got close. "Well, what are you doing?"

"Trying to not think about Petrarch." Chris replied honestly. "And the Hammer, my old ship."

"Not me." She added playfully.

"Okay, you too. With all these radical GTVA freaks running around, what's going to happen to this relationship of ours."

"I don't think they'll have time to notice. Since they all left with Petrarch. The only nice thing that admiral did was transfer his reserve fighters to our fighter stores. That and the GTVA has finally given us all the equipment we wanted. We're set. I also heard rumors that Tau Sigma's turning into a war zone too."

"What is it, that causes these people to take advantage of the GTVA when we're still reeling from Capella. Why?"

"I can't answer that. I don't have an answer." Anya fell silent. "But you're right, why do they have to?"

"Hey, I asked you first!"

"So. I'm the girl, if necessary, I can use my hormones to turn you into my loyal servant."

"Damn female hormones."

"Damn male hormones."

They both laughed. A tiny bit of humor, injected into their shattered world, made all the difference. For a moment, neither thought about the war going on in the distance. Neither thought about how tomorrow... they would once again face odds that were very much not in their favor.


	6. Loss of Hope

A day passed without incident. The silence was unnerving. Chris couldn't understand why there hadn't been so much as a communication from the Aquataine and it's battle group. He couldn't use the simulators because the Swords were on scramble alert during the day, while the Ravens were on scramble alert all night.

Chris was standing on the observation deck when the alarms begun to wail. He quickly ran to the briefing room, where the other Swords were already assembling. They all took their seats as the Base Commander entered, his pace faster than usual. "We just received a distress signal from the Aquataine. This comes as no surprise." The Commander activated the tactical map. "The Aquataine's signal came from a small asteroid belt on the other side of the system. The message stated that they had been swarmed and most of the battle group is dead, including Admiral Petrarch. The current commander of the Aquataine is the chief engineer, Sydney Burkman. Your assignments are as follows. Alpha wing, you will go to investigate. Beta, you will escort a supply convoy to the captured asteroid base. Gamma, you will patrol the area around the Repair Yard. Everyone will fly Perseus fighters, armed with Subach and Prometheus S cannons. Secondaries are twin banks of Harpoons. Good Luck."

As was usual post-briefing, the Swords filed out of the briefing room and headed for the flight deck. Chris climbed into his fighter and flipped the power switch to the on position. Within seconds, the ship lit up, shields came on, and the engines roared to life. He pushed the throttle forward and shot out of the bay, followed by all of Alpha wing. "Alpha, stand by for coordinates." Chris quickly transmitted the coordinates of the Aquataine's position. "Alpha wing engage subspace drivers." Chris activated his subspace drivers and was soon in subspace.

Meanwhile, in deep space, far from any planet, the Orion destroyer Vesan and the Colossus Battleship Harbringer exited subspace. In front of them was a Ravana class Shivan destroyer and two Lucifer Superdestroyers. Normally, this sight would be met with combat, but instead, the ships began communicating using the ETAK based communication system. To the casual observer, ETAK code was nothing more than subspace pulses. To the Shivans in was a language, a language in which they could communicate. To most Terrans, ETAK was a ghost of the Neo-Terran Front.

In only minutes, the Vesan, Harbringer, and the Ravana destroyer entered subspace together. The two Lucifers entered subspace on a different vector. And then the area was empty and devoid of life once again.

Alpha wing dropped out of subspace near the asteroid field but not in it, to do so would be to risk a collision with an asteroid. Chris activated his active scanners and panned his fighter's nose around to view the asteroid field. He spotted the Aquataine just as his sensors chimed that they had a contact. "Alpha wing, stay close." Chris pushed his throttle to full and raced toward the Aquataine.

The Perseus fighter was an interceptor. It was fast and agile, but still tougher than the Ulysses fighter. It's weapons capacity was reminiscent of the old Apollo space superiority fighter of the Terran-Vasudan war. It's engines were much more powerful than any other fighter's engines in the fleet, giving it unsurpassed speed and the largest afterburner reserve in the fleet.

Chris boosted the power to his engines to give himself a bit of extra speed as he closed the distance to the Aquataine. As he got closer he saw the extent of the damage. The Aquataine's hull was ruptured in multiple places, and it was missing an entire engine mount and one of the flight decks. What shocked him even more was the status of the Aquataine's subsystems. There wasn't a subsystem above ten percent integrity and most were completely offline.

Weapons discharges caught his eye as he got closer, but his sensors identified then as friendly weapons fire from a group of heavily damaged Erinyes fighters. He activated his communication system, "Aquataine, this is Alpha wing of the 77th Swords, please respond."

"Alpha wing." Sydney's voice was hard to understand through the static. "I'm Chief Warrant Officer Sydney Burkman, we've sustained heavy damage and have lost at least 50% of the crew. Another 25% are still unaccounted for."

"What do you need in the way of repairs?"

"We've got enough parts to get the engines online, what we need is time. The enemy capitol ships are the Vesan, and Orion class destroyer, and the Harbringer, the Colossus. After that, they've got a small armada of other ships and a large contingent of fighters and bombers. They cut through our fleet in seconds. Most of our fighter squadrons were destroyed trying to cover our escape. All that's left is Alpha 1, Alpha 4, Gamma 3, and Theta 2 of the 70th Blue Lions."

"We're here to help. What are they shooting at?"

"Asteroids, we've got crews targeting the turrets manually. We have to stop the asteroid from hitting the Aquataine. Luckily, this field is mostly immobile, and the Lions have pretty much destroyed all the asteroids in the general area. Our transmitter is shot, inform the repair yard that we'll be coming as soon as possible."

"I'll send it immediately, Alpha 1 clear." Chris quickly switched frequencies on his comm board. "Alpha Centauri Repair Yard, Alpha 1 here, the Aquataine is alive but needs time to repair, we'll be protecting them until they can make the jump, Alpha wing out."

"I've never seen a ship so heavily damaged." Anya commented.

"I have, in Capella. I've seen bodies floating in space after some engagements. You want to help them, but then you realize, they're already dead." Chris brushed a tear from his eye.

"Chris." Louis's normally arrogant tone was replaced by a voice that sounded terrified. "I'm reading three incoming jump signatures, the Vesan, the Harbringer, and an unknown Ravana class destroyer."

Chris quickly checked the readings himself. "It's a Ravana alright." He opened a channel the Aquataine. "Aquataine, power down all your systems, instruct your fighters to do the same. We're going to play dead."

"Why?" Sydney asked.

"Because the Vesan, the Harbringer, and a Shivan Ravana class destroyer have exited subpsace 450 kilometers out. There's a chance we can go unnoticed. Use narrow beam transmissions to communicate from here on out. Do not fire until fired upon!" Chris quickly switched off all of his systems except life support, communication, and passive scanners. So far, nothing had come to engage them.

Then a wing of Shivan Mara fighters popped out of subspace only a kilometer from their position. The Shivan fighters fly right past Chris's cockpit and looped around the Aquataine, obviously trying to determine the level of damage. Chris kept his finger on the emergency startup button as the Shivans continued to circle around their position.

After almost ten whole minutes, the Shivans departed into subspace. Only seconds later, the Vesan, Harbringer, and the Ravana destroyer departed as well. Chris powered his fighter back up and opened a channel to his wing. "That was too close," he remarked.

"Your telling me," Louis replied.

"They obviously detected something." said Anya. "But they also couldn't identify it."

"I just don't want to do that again."

"No Louis," Chris stated, "the next time we are that close to a Shivan attack wing, they'll be shooting at us."

Three hours later, Alpha wing, the Aquataine, and the remained Lions returned to the repair yard. A pair of freighters towed the Aquataine to the jump gate to Vasuda, taking the remaining Lions with them. Alpha wing quickly docked with the Repair Yard, where they were reunited with the other Swords.

They assembled in the briefing room and waited for the Base commander to come in. When he did, he waved for them to sit. "Chris, what happened?" The commander asked.

"The Aquataine and it's fleet were obliterated." Chris replied. "The Aquataine barely survived. The more pressing news is that we've sighted a Shivan Ravana class destroyer. And where one is, several million will follow. So we're in for another Shivan war."

"I'm not going to lie to any of you. We are most likely going to die. And an evacuation is in order. However, in an attempt to catch the Shivans off guard and delay their advance, we will be staying in system. We're leaving the Repair Yard and moving to the slave traders asteroid base. Only volunteers are remaining. Volunteers, stand.." He didn't finish his sentence. All of the swords stood up. "That settle it, Alpha wing, get into the Artemis D.H. bombers down in the hanger. Beta and Gamma will fly Erinyes fighters and will cover you. You're to provide cover for the Hedette as it fights a delaying action here at the repair yard. You must hold the shivans back until we get the last transports out of the system. Good Luck."

Minutes later, Chris led his wing back out of the hanger, in their Artemis bombers. He had a bank of Hornet swarm missiles and two banks of 4 cyclops torpedoes. His primary weapon banks were loaded with the Prometheus cannon. He assumed a position just above the front of the Hedette, which was facing the entry vector with both primary beam cannons pointing down range.

Chris tried to steady his shaking hands as he waited for the first wave of Shivan attackers. It was a futile effort, no one could completely control their fears, especially when they knew that the most dangerous enemy of the GTVA was coming for them. The thought of going into combat against the Shivans again was Chris's greatest fear.

But the time for terror was over, three Shivan Cain cruisers and two wings of Mara fighters entered the area, right on the entry vector. The Hedette opened fire, taking out two of the cruisers instantly. Chris accelerated toward the third cruiser. "Alpha, guns only, fire." Chris led Anya, Louis, and Jack in a strafing attack against the Cain cruiser, attacking it from below. Chris shot off the cruiser's primary beam cannon as it charged. After his wing was clear, the Hedette destroyed it with a well place beam cannons shot. Beta and Gamma wings had already dealt with the Mara fighters.

The next wave happened instantly after. Two Rakshasa cruiser and two full squadron of Nephilum bombers entered the area. Again, the Hedette opened fire immediately, cracking one of the Rakshasas into two neat pieces. Chris targeted one of the bombers and opened fire.

The Nephilum bomber was slow and big, making it an easy target. His shots punched through the shields easily and ripped the hull apart in seconds. Other explosions indicated the kills of other members of the squadron.

The remaining Rakshasas opened fire with it's two forward beams, which didn't penetrate the armor on the Hedette. Chris shot down another Nephilum before the Hedette fired again, cutting the Rakshasa into three neat pieces.

So far the attacks had been mild, and nothing had really hurt the Hedette. Chris knew this was nothing more than a ploy to expend the energy and ammunition of the defenders. The last transports left the station and begun to head for their jump points as six massive subspace vortexes appeared.

"HOLY SHIT!" Louis screamed.

"Three Ravanas and Three Lucifers!" Amy yelled.

"Alpha," Chris yelled. "Target the lead Ravana."

The Hedette's opening volley cut a deep slice into the lead Ravana, but then the three Ravana's opened fire, their heavy beams quickly cut the Hedette apart.

"This is the Hedette, we've bought you all the time we could." Rex yelled over the comm. "We're going up...." and then the Hedette exploded, sending a massive shockwave in all directions.

Chris opened a comm channel to the freighters. "Better go fast, we're not going to be here for long." Chris led his wing toward the lead Ravana. They dodged the flak until they were right on top of the destroyer, in which they all fired four cyclops torpedoes into the destroyer.

The Ravana destroyer begun to break up under the stress of sixteen cyclops torpedoes hitting it in the same spot. A massive fissure appeared along the destroyer's side. Chirs, Anya, Louis, and Jack attacked it again, sending another sixteen torpedoes into the Ravana. This volley was enough to bring the destroyer down, it exploded in a massive explosion as the final transports departed through the jump node.

Chris transmitted the coordinates to the whole squadron and they all disappeared into subspace.

An hour later, the Swords arrived at the asteroid base. They docked in a massive fighter bay on the dark side of the asteroid. Most of their other fighters were already in neat organized rows, including their battered Ulysses fighters. The 135th was already on patrol around the Asteroid base.

When Chris climbed out of his bomber, he finally got a good look at the damage he had taken. His fighter had small pits along an entire side, indicating that a flak burst had exploded near him when his shield were down. There were also burn marks in various other places. He stepped away, letting the technicians put his bomber into the repair rack.

His squadron assembled at the rear of the bay, unsure of where to go. "Well Swords, that was some fantastic flying today." Chris said. "Now, let's find out where the briefing room is."

"This way sir." A technician waved. "Follow me.

The technician led the Swords to what look like a hastily converted mess hall. The Base commander was already there. He was sitting in a chair at the head of a large table. He motioned for them to take a seat. "Swords, we've suffered a terrible blow today. The loss of the Hedette will severally limit our operations, but the Saber, Pirate Killer, and the Mussolini are ready to do battle at a moments notice. I want you all to try and get some rest, we'll discuss our upcoming operations tomorrow. Your Squadron's quarters are on the top deck. The tech that brought you here will lead you to them." He motioned for the Swords to leave.

The Swords quietly stood and left following the technician to their quarters. Each pilot had his own quarters which was surprising, considering the conditions of the base. Equipment was being stored just about anywhere there was space. The corridors were crowded with the mechanics, technicians, and deck officers that kept the station running.

However, the quarters that the Swords had weren't much to look at. Each was little more than a bed and a locker, with just a tiny amount of living space. Chris stripped off his flight suit and changed into a pair of flannel pants and a tee-shirt. They had nothing that was their own anymore. Even their clothes were the property of the GTVA.

Chris turned off the light and tried to sleep. He couldn't, so he just laid on his back with his eyes closed. After an hour, he heard a knock on the door. Since he wasn't asleep he got up and opened it. Anya was there. "Can I come in?" She asked.

"Sure." Chris replied. He turned the light back on, but on it's dimmest standing.

"I can't sleep," said Anya as she sat on the bed.

"Me neither." Chris sat next to her.

"I can't get the destruction of the Hedette, or the Shivans out of my head. I guess I'm afraid."

"You can't blame yourself Anya. There was nothing any of us could've done."

"I know that. It's just a shock." She brushed a tear from her eye.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know." Anya rested her head on his chest.

"Anya.... the thing that scares me even more than the Shivans is the thought of losing you." He put his arms around her and drew her closer. Soon, they were in each others arms, each holding close to the other. Anya pulled herself up so she could kiss him, and was met half way by Chris.

Chris reached over and turned the lights off as he laid back on the bed, with Anya on top of him. He kissed her again.

Special Thanks: Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and read my story so far. It's nowhere near done, but your continued encouragement keeps me writing more. Thanks again.


	7. One Small Victory

Chris spent the next entire next day memorizing the layout of the asteroid base. It wasn't easy. The base's tunnels were twisted and curved, nothing was in a straight line. On top of that, the base's gravity system only function half the time. As a result everyone had to be careful to not go floating away.

He met the squadron in the mess hall for the evening meal after finishing his tour of the base. They were all crammed into the small section that was reserved for pilots. RaNah was sitting on the floor as the chairs were to small. They had only three tables, in which they had divided by flight groups, as usual.

Dinner was comprised of ration bars and nutrient drinks, it was all they had. He took a large bite out of one of his ration bars before saying, "I know, the food stinks." The looks on the faces of everyone else showed that they all agreed. "But, it's all we have, so eat up."

After dinner they were instructed to report to the briefing room. Chris led them to the briefing room. The room was different than it had been previously. It now contained a working projector. The chairs had also been arranged in neat rows. The dust layer that had been there previously was non-existent.

The Base commander entered shortly after they arrived. He was holding two display discs for the projector. He shoved one of them into the projector and it came to life, showing a diagram of the system. Red dots populated the areas around the jump nodes in the system. "This is the current position of the Shivan and traitor ships." He spoke slowly, giving the pilots time to take it in. "There's no way in hell we could take the jump node to Vasudan back, so our current objective is to initiate our guerilla war against the Shivans." He pulled the one disc out of the projector and shoved another one in. This time the projector showed a list of Shivan ships. "This is a list of the Shivan ships that are moving supplies into the system, from where we don't know. The point is that these convoys have to be stopped if we're to have any hope of retaking the system. We've developed a procedure of jumping to avoid leading the Shivan here. You are to jump to one of seven auxiliary points, in which you'll already have the bearings and vectors to jump immediately. As you all know, we can't allow them to find us."

"So, what's the plan?" Louis asked.

"The mission for today is for the Swords and the Pirate Killer to hit a convoy as it drops out of subspace at a small repair depot near the sixth planet of the system. The gravity well there will make escape, for you or the Shivans difficult. The Pirate Killer will jump in right on top of the Cain cruiser that's patrolling the depot. The Swords will jump in right behind it, your objectives are to neutralize the Cain cruiser as quickly as possible. We estimate it will take them a minimum of five minutes to send out a distress signal, use that five minutes to destroy it, then clear out the fighters and any cargo. You will then wait for a maximum of two hours for the convoy to show, if it does, destroy it, if it doesn't, fall back to the base using the double jump method."

"What are we flying?" Chris asked.

"You'll be flying Erinyes fighters, armed with twin banks of Prometheus S cannons and Tempest dumb fires. Use your dumb fires to rip the cruiser apart on the first pass. Dismissed."

Soon, they were en-route to their destination. They were only seconds behind the Pirate Killer. Chris flexed his fingers as he watched the count down to reversion. When it ticked down to zero, the stars reappeared around him. Directly in front of him was the Shivan Cain cruiser, already engaged with the Pirate Killer. "Swords, charge!" He yelled as he rammed his throttles to full. He pressed down all triggers on his flight stick as he zoomed towards the Cain. He was joined by all eleven other members of the Swords.

The Cain cruiser broke up under the hailstorm of fire as the Swords passed it, riding it's explosion clear of the blast. Chris rammed his stick hard and found his first target, a Basilisk fighter. He fired several tempests as he pummeled it with Prometheus rounds. It tried in vain to maneuver, but failed miserably as Chris destroyed it.

Chris was them jumped by a Dragon fighter. He jinked to avoid it's lasers and frantically threw his fighter into evasive maneuvers. "Anya, get him off my tail." He yelled into the comm. He dropped a pair of countermeasures as the Dragon fired a missile at him. The missile took the bait and exploded on the countermeasures. Then Anya swooped in, her guns blazing, and ripped the Dragon apart. "Thanks Anya," Chris transmitted as he searched for a new target.

However, there were no more targets, the other Swords had neutralized all of the other fighters and the Pirate Killer was already vaporizing the cargo containers in the area. Soon, they were all waiting for the convoy.

Waiting was always the hardest part, Chris thought. Waiting always seemed to make even the bravest feel fear because their was nothing the hide the fear, no excitement of battle, no adrenaline pumping through your veins. Even worse was the silence. Everyone was instructed to maintain radio silence, as not to give their position away, but this gave far too much time for fighter pilots to think.

After an hour, the Shivan convoy appeared. It consisted of 8 Asmodeus freighters and 8 Mephisto freighters. There was also a Rakshasa cruiser escorting them. Two wings of Mara fighters encircled the cruiser.

The Pirate Killer opened fire and the Swords shot forward. Chris targeted the lead Mara fighter and opened fire. The Mara danced out of the way in a display of maneuvers that only a shivan fighter could do. Chris followed the Mara around it's final turn and fired. His shots impacted the shields of his target, as his missiles penetrated. The Mara exploded in a fireball.

Chris looped around and zeroed in on the Mara that was behind Anya. Anya didn't appear to be too troubled with the fighter. She was easily and lazily evading the Mara's erratic weapons fire. Chris swooped in behind the Mara and blew it away with a volley of tempest missiles.

"That was sure easy." Louis commented.

"Must not be dealing with crack pilots." Gordon replied.

"It would make sense, but then, Shivans generally are all the best. It's strange."

"Real strange Louis." Chris added. "But for now let's take down the convoy, watch the flak around the Asmodeus freighters."

Within minutes, the Shivan convoy was completely destroyed. They would have to escort the Pirate Killer out of the gravity well before they could head for home. Chris opened a secure channel with Anya. "Why didn't you just waste the Shivan that was on your tail?"

"Your right, why did I?" Anya seemed incredibly confused.

"Normally, when someone's flying that badly, you blow their brains out."

"I was... at least I think I was.... overcome by this feeling of safety, I really don't know why."

"Could the Shivan ship have been transmitting some kind of signal?"

"Doesn't seemed likely, but base on how the Shivan was flying, I'd say he was doing something besides flying."

"You do know that's incredibly scary. If they could perfect some method of distraction."

"We wouldn't stand a chance and we already don't, so why would they bother?"

"No one really understands how the Shivan mind works."

"What about those crazy people on the Vesan, how do they fit into this?"

"Good question, how do they?"

"I guess we'll find out if we can, if not, we've just got to focus in combat. I think that's why I was affected."

"You, why?"

"Generally, when I go into combat, I fly almost by instinct, I think you fly in more of a cold fury."

"Well, I guess that's a fair assessment."

"Vasudan's probably aren't affected, unless the Shivans have had a chance to figure out Vasudan anatomy."

"Point, but we shouldn't underestimate the Shivans." Chris glanced down at his sensor board. They were approaching their subspace entry vector. "We can talk later, we're about to enter subspace."

"Right."

Chris closed the secure channel, reopening his open communications to the squadron and the Pirate Killer. "This is the Pirate Killer," the commander of the Pirate Killer said, "prepare to enter subspace on my mark..... mark."

They all entered subspace.

The debriefing back at the asteroid base was quick and informal. The Base Commander simply said good work and then dismissed them. Chris and Anya visited the Mess Hall and grab a quick meal. Chris was halfway through his rations when Louis and Jack arrived. "Is this a private party or can anyone join?" Louis asked.

"Take a seat." Chris replied.

"Jack sit!"

"I'm sitting." Jack replied.

"Anyway, so what's on the menu tonight?"

"Let's see," Anya replied, "there's rations, rations, ration soup, and, get this, ration stew. And, for dessert, more rations."

"Even more appetizing than last time. Leave it to the GTVA chefs to cook up the most delicious stuff. I smuggled a bunch of candy in my fighter's auxiliary storage system before we left the Repair Yard. I'm saving it for a celebration."

"Sure you are. You're just hoarding it for yourself."

"I resent that, I am not. Even ask Jack."

"That's not a very reliable source, he's your best friend, for all we know, you're giving him some to keep him quiet."

"Does that mean I have to bribe the two of you know to."

"I don't know, how much are you talking about?" Anya was smiling, as was everyone else.

"I'll have to have you court marshaled Louis," Chris stated, "bribery of your superior officer is illegal in the GTVA. You could be stripped of rank and citizenship in the GTVA."

"No please," Louis replied, obviously suppressing his laughter. "Not that, the GTVA is my...." Louis fell out of his chair as he laughed.

The rest of the Mess Hall fell silent as the four pilots continued laughing.

Later that evening, Chris overheard Louis talking to Amy about something. He hadn't been asleep, but had simply been resting with his eyes closed. He pressed his ear to his door and could understand what they were saying.

"Look, I... I not very good at these." Louis was saying.

"Well, are you hitting on me or do you have another reason for speaking to me." Amy replied.

"No... I'm not hitting on you.... I'm trying to apologize for how I acted on the Hedette. I was a really big ass hole. If it makes you feel better, you can slap me."

"Thank you for apologizing, and no, I don't think I'll slap you, you'd take it the wrong way and enjoy it."

"Well, you know me." Louis let out a nervous laugh.

"Yes, I do know you, all too well." It was then that Amy released a laugh of her own. "Thanks Louis."

Chris heard two doors open and close, Amy and Louis had returned to their quarters. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least that rift had been mending, and Amy seemed better for it. That had been the first time he had ever heard her laugh. Maybe it was a sign that Amy was finally recovering from all the death that had scared her emotionally for so long.

He made a note in his personal log that while the galactic situation was grim, the local situation in the squadron was finally improving. His squadron was becoming more and more bound to each other. This was both good and bad. It would mean that if one member of his squadron was killed, then the others would feel greater pain at their loss. However, a squadron that was bound to each other was much less likely to take a casualty in combat.

That night, Chris slept better than he had in days.


	8. The Destruction of the Vesan

Chris rolled out of bed at 0700 hours the next morning, having slept for far too long. He hastily pulled his flight suit on and headed down to the mess hall. He joined the rest of the squadron in their section, grabbing a pair of ration bars along the way. The normal seating arrangements had been mixed up. Louis and Jack were sitting with Amy and Alex. RaNah and Nick were with Nicole and David as normal. Anya was sitting with Gordon and Franz. Chris joined them.

"I think he's hitting on her." Gordon was saying.

"Nah, how could he, he's Louis. And, she's Amy. You know that as well as I do." Franz replied.

"Maybe he's turned over a new leaf." Chris suggested. "So how have you two been?"

"Been sleeping better recently."

"Don't tell anyone, but Louis did apologize, then told a joke and Amy laughed at it."

"WHAT?" Franz practically spat the words at Chris.

"It's a change for the better," Anya replied. "I think all this desperation has changed Louis. He can't think everything's the same anymore."

"Well, that's true." Gordon added.

"I agree with you now." Franz stated.

"I told you."

"So."

While Gordon and Franz continued arguing about nothing, Chris turned to Anya and whispered. "You okay."

"I've been better." She replied, her voice hushed as well.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"No, had some terrible nightmares, but I saw you sleeping peacefully and I couldn't interrupt that."

"I would've gladly provided some support."

"I know, that's why I didn't wake you." She sighed. "I'm also worried about getting too close to you."

"It's always going to be a concern. Are you going to let go because of it, I'll respect it if you need to."

"No, not yet. Why don't we take a walk and finish this conversation on the observation deck."

"Good idea." Chris quickly finished his ration bars before getting up with Anya. He bid Gordon and Franz good bye and then began walking with Anya toward the observation deck. "Anya, I don't want to let go of you. I mean, I would do it if you felt that was what needed to be done, but I don't want to."

"I know." She took his hand in hers. "I was just thinking aloud, you know speaking my mind."

"Well, what are we going to do."

"I don't think it's time to let go yet. I still really feel good about being with you, even though it's the most strenuous relationship I've ever had."

"I'd agree with you on that." He stepped out onto the empty observation deck. The distant sun in the system was shining a dim light into the observation deck through the three large windows. "I'm sorry it's so tough, but I don't think we can quit our fighter jobs right now."

"Yeah, we're volunteers. Anyway, I wonder what it's like for normal people to have romantic relationships."

"That would certainly be an experience. Maybe, just maybe, after this is all over we can find out."

"I'd like that too. Life as a fighter pilot generally doesn't leave time for that, we'd have to give up one or the other."

"I've seen my share of wars. I've seen death and destruction on a scale that's just insurmountable. This will be my last war. If I live through this, I plan to retire."

"But why? I mean besides me, you seem to enjoy it."

"Anya, you were extremely lucky not to be in Capella. We lost a total of more than 80% of our fleet there and over a two million confirmed dead. Then there's the displaced people of Capella, all of which are still struggling to find a home among the poverty stricken GTVA. I can't go on fighting like this my whole life. That's why I've decided to call it quits. Maybe I'll accept a position at a GTVA academy as a job. I just can't continue doing this forever, no one can. Not to mention that I have you, and I really want to be able to truly understand our relationship. I want time to do all these things that I've put off for so long."

"Time is precious."

"True, and it's something we all have precious little of. I've fought for ten years now, and I can't continue forever. I'm going to see this conflict through, but then it's going to be over."

"No more wars, no more fighting, no more destruction, no more death. Do you have any idea where you might go."

"Not really, I was raised in Delta Serpentis. My father and mother were both from Earth. All my other relatives were on Earth when we lost the connection to Sol. My father actually died during the Capella crisis and my mother was killed in a later battle, they were both ship commanders. My mother was so close to making it out too. She was on the GTCv Lemnos, one of the last ships that was supposed to leave. My father, he died on board the GTVA Colossus. And that left me, the last member of my family, the only one to escape Capella on my own. I still own their house on Delta Serpentis 4, but nobody's lived there for years."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"No, it's okay. It's nice to talk about this with someone I care about. I'm guessing I could go back there. Though I'm not sure what I do there. It's a civilian run and civilian controlled colony... okay, it's really a metropolis. What about you?"

"Well, my parents live in Vega. My brother is just now turning 21. But the last time I spoke to my parents was before I joined the academy. They are strong believers that the GTVA really bungled the whole Great War deal. They think that war could've been avoided. We both know that's not true, but they'll never listen. It's why they've not tried to contact me and I've not tried to contact them."

"Don't you miss them?"

"As much as I hate to admit it yes. Especially my brother. He agreed with me on that issue. He was the only one of my family that turned up at my graduation from the academy. He was so proud to have me as his sister." A tear came to Anya's eye. "He told me of how my parents had told him he couldn't come, but he'd done so anyway, using half his allowance just to book transport to the academy. Which was in orbit. I'm still mad at my parents, maybe someday I can try and reconcile our differences. That day, just isn't today." She smiled.

"Definitely not." Chris leaned over and embraced her gently.

Later that afternoon, the Swords, Ravens, and the 135th were all called to the briefing room. This had been the first time that all three squadrons had been in the briefing room at the same time. The Swords sat on the left, while the 135th sat on the right. The Ravens ended up sitting wherever there was room.

The Base Commander entered exactly on time. He spoke quickly. "I've called you all here because an opportunity has presented itself. We've just received a message from one of our scoutships that the Vesan will be waiting for a short time, completely unguarded. This is the perfect time for us to strike and obliterate one of these capitol ships. The Swords will fly Medusa bombers and will strike the Vesan quickly, then warp out the instant it's destroyed. The 135th will enter a few minutes ahead of the Swords and will try and draw out as many of the Vesan's fighters as it can. The Ravens will enter with the Swords and are charged with defending the Swords during their attack runs. For this to work, we must be in and out in under fifteen minutes. Get down to the flight deck and take your fighters. Swords, we've stolen a group of gunners off the Pirate Killer to be your turret gunners. Good luck people!"

Chris made his way down to the flight deck, where he climbed into the Medusa bomber with the Sword's squadron logo painted on it. His gunner was a short, blond woman, obviously not much older than 22. She was already strapped into the rear seat, her helmet strapped down tightly and her crash webbing fastened. Chris hastily fastened his own crash webbing and pulled his helmet on. "What's you name?" He asked.

"Deck Ensign Kira Hinglond." She replied crisply.

"I'm not your senior officer, just Kira would've been enough. I'm Chris. You strapped in tight enough back there?"

"Tight enough. I'll do my best to keep your tail clear."

"Make sure you tell me if someone's getting in back there, I'll lose 'em."

"Right."

"Let's get this show on the road." Chris glanced at his sensor board. All the other Swords were lighting up green, indicating that they were ready to go. "Swords, this is Alpha 1, let's go." Chris rammed the throttle forward and accelerated quickly using a bit of the afterburners.

"Woohooo!" Kira yelled.

Chris shook his head as he downloaded and transmitted the coordinates of the target area to his squadron. He then entered subspace.

The Swords exited subspace two kilometers from the Vesan's bow. A quick glance at his sensor board told Chris that the 135th was already busy with the Vesan's wings of Perseus fighters. Chris didn't waste anytime. "Swords, lock your bombs and fire them as soon as you can." He yelled over the comm. He then rammed his throttles to full and switched his secondary weapons to his cyclops torpedoes. He linked his second and third banks together and set them to dual fire.

As soon as he was within a kilometer of the Vesan, his targeting computer started to lock on to the Vesan's hull. Then the flak started firing. Chris punched a little more power into his shields as he held his course. He released his bombs once they locked onto the Vesan, then pulled up and away with his afterburners. His sensors recorded 42 bomb hits, indicated that everyone in the squadron had fired as well, but the Vesan had managed to pick a few bombs off.

"Fighters." Kira stated.

"Swords, let's set up for another run." Chris yelled into the comm. "Fire at will!"

The Vesan looked different as Chris brought it into his sights. The front end of the Vesan was almost non-existent and a massive crack had formed all the way to the back end of the Vesan. Chris began to lock his bombs as Kira shrieked and begun firing the turret madly. Chris begun to bounce his Medusa back and forth, trying to keep the fighters off his tail.

"Ravens, Alpha 1 could use some help here!" Chris yelled.

"Pinned.... will try to get.... you." Was the response Chris heard in return.

"Hang on Chris!" Anya yelled.

Chris aborted his attack run and yanked his bomber had around a tight turn. The Perseus fighter behind him easily matched the maneuver. Chris continually diverted shield strength to his rear shields. Suddenly, the Perseus fighter exploded as sixteen hornet missiles rammed into it.

"Your tail's clear." Anya stated.

"Thanks Anya." Chris replied. Chris then turned back at the Vesan, locked his bombs and fired another four bombs. The Vesan exploded in a massive fireball. Chris used his bombers shields to ride the explosion clear of the Vesan's wreckage. He checked his sensor board and noticed that while damage was extensive to most of their fighters, nobody with the GTVA had been killed.

As the remaining fighters from the Vesan bugged out, the GTVA pilots headed back to the asteroid base.

They got a hero's welcome when they returned. Every person on the base was assembled on the flight deck, applauding the returning pilots. Chris unfastened his crash webbing, then helped Kira get herself out of her own crash webbing. Chris then leaped from his bomber's cockpit to the floor, landing with a thump. Chris then noticed the three banners hanging from the ceiling. One had two playing cards and a sword, then symbol of his squadron. Another had a raven on it. And the third had two Vasudan bones with the number 135 superimposed over it. Chris had never felt so good in his life.

The Base Commander walked over, with a large case in his hands. "Pilots, line up please." He asked. The pilots of all three squadrons and their gunners lined up in a long line in front of the parked fighters and bombers. The Commander then approached Chris. "It is my pleasure to award each of you with the Medal of Conspicuous Gallantry, for your actions in the previous mission." He pinned the medal to Chris's flight jacket. He then went down the line of pilots, eventually reaching upward to pin the medals on the Vasudan pilots of the 135th.

When he was done, he turned to the mass of personnel assembled on the flight deck. "Let it be known throughout this base, that these fine young men, women, and Vasudans have gone above and beyond the call of duty. They've done more than anyone could've ever asked. As have you all. The threat is not over, but due to the actions of these pilots and every person on this base, we have a glimmer of hope. Now, report back to your duty stations. Pilots, you have the rest of the day off." The Base Commander motioned for the pilots to leave.

Chris led the motley procession of pilots out of the hanger. They then split into squadrons, each headed for their respective quarters.

When Chris got to his quarters he quickly took the medal off his flight jacket and stuffed it into his flight jacket's pocket. He then changed into a clean tee-shirt and pants and headed off to the mess hall to grab something to eat. All he could think about was the three banners now hanging in the hanger. Who would've thought that the squadron logo would ever have earned such a place. Certainly, the Elite GTVA squadrons had them, but the Swords were not an Elite squadron. They were simply a squadron thrown into a hopeless situation. The Ravens were only a group of former Pirates, yet they had a banner, and the 135th wasn't an Elite Vasudan squadron by any means.

Whatever the reasons, their was a great deal of respect being paid the Swords, Ravens, and the 135th. All of which had never been through something like this before. All of which were just ordinary pilots struggling to do what was right, no matter the cost.


	9. Cry For The Dying

Days quickly stretched into weeks. Chris could almost find the daily routine boring, despite the constant danger. Every day the Swords flew at least one mission, generally a convoy raid. Shivan resistance was still fierce, but the Swords became better and better at what they did, which was too fight. There was a growing feeling of invincibility among the GTVA personnel that could only lead to trouble.

Two weeks after their evacuation of the Repair Yard, in the early morning, the alarm sirens begun to wail. Chris rolled out of bed and quickly pulled his flight suit on. He half-ran, half-stumbled, out of his quarters and down to the briefing room with the other Swords. The only one who was a awake and alert was RaNah.

As the Swords and the Ravens filed into the briefing room, they quickly noticed that their Vasudan counterparts in the 135th were missing. Chris was about to ask Anya about it when the Base Commander entered, running.

"Pilots, we have an emergency situation on our hands." The Commander spoke quickly. "Only minutes ago, we received a distress call from the 135th. They have been ambushed at one of the relay points back to the base. They are completely pinned in...."

"Just send us the coordinates," Chris stated. "We'll rescue them. Everyone to the flight deck."

"The Saber and the Pirate Killer are already prepping to make the jump, we have Myrmidon fighters ready and waiting for you in the hanger."

"Swords, Ravens, let's go!" Chris shoved his helmet over his head and bolted for the hanger, along with all the other pilots. He quickly climbed into one of the fighters and activated the emergency startup procedure.

The Myrmidon responded with a loud bang and then the gentle humming of it's four main engines. Chris checked the squadron status display and noticed everyone else was ready. "Swords, let's go." He yelled into the fighter's communications system.

As he did this, he rammed the throttles to full and raced out of the hanger. He quickly received the coordinates for the 135th and transmitted them to the rest of his squadron. The Swords then entered subspace, with the Ravens right behind them.

Meanwhile, at the relay point, the 135th continued to fight heroically. No matter how much they were tried to stem the tide of Shivan fighters, they were unable. The Shivans continued to pour reinforcements into the engagement. The 135th had already lost six pilots and two more were without power and drifting.

The Saber and the Pirate Killer entered the area just seconds before the Swords and the Ravens appeared. Blue anti-fighter beam cannons lashed out from all over the Saber and the Pirate Killer. Meanwhile, the Swords and the Ravens charged into the fighter, catching the Shivans unprepared.

As Chris raced toward his target, he fired a group of Hornet missiles and laced a Shivan Mara fighter with his Prometheus cannons. The Mara exploded instantly, as did it's wingman when Anya blasted it apart. Chris shot through the debris, ignoring the banging on his hull from the tiny chunks and targeted another Mara. He also destroyed it easily.

Then he was through the pack of Shivan fighters. He and Anya whipped their fighters around and then came at the Shivans again. This time however, the Shivans were ready. Chris only managed to destroy a single Mara fighter in this pass. He didn't continue for another slashing attack, but instead changed his tactics.

He targeted another Mara fighter and brought it into his sights. He opened fire, his shots turning the Mara's shield opaque before they collapsed. However, Mara then pulled another of the crazy evasive maneuvers that only Shivan ships could do. He continued to fire constantly as he frantically tried to keep the Mara in his gunsight.

The instant the Mara came out of it's crazy spin, Chris scored a direct hit, just as another Shivan Mara began to pound on his rear shield. He rammed his throttles to full reverse and the Mara went racing past him. As the Mara pass in front of his gunsight, Chris released another group of Hornets and fired his cannons. The Mara's ventral shielding collapsed instantly and the Mara exploded.

Suddenly, Chris heard a scream from the comm system. "We just lost Gamma three." Nick yelled in response. "Nicole, rejoin me!"

"I can't find you." Nicole replied.

Chris quickly targeted Nicole's damaged Myrmidon and turned towards it, just as a Shivan fighter blasted it apart.

"DAMN IT!" Nick yelled. "Come here you bastards."

Chris quickly dispatched of the Mara that had killed Nicole. He then noticed that the indicator for Beta 4 was blinking red. He quickly targeted and turned toward Alex's fighter. Alex had a Mara fighter almost point-blank behind him. Alex was throwing his fighter into a frantic dance of evasive maneuvers as he struggled to get the Mara off his tail.

Chris used his afterburners to quickly get behind of the Mara and open fire. The Mara did have any remaining shield strength in it's rear quadrant so Chris's shots went right through it. The Mara exploded in a fireball. He caught a glance of Alex's fighter as he passed. Alex's fighter was missing on of it's wings and one of the engines was dark.

Chris pulled hard to bring his fighter around, just as a Mara hit him head on. Chris's mind couldn't make sense out of the mess that followed. Every alarm siren in his cockpit started to wail and the system diagnostics display was lit up with mostly red lights, indicating that he had massive system failures.

Chris had lost most of his combat systems, including his shields, but his engines were still showing green lights, and his secondary Prometheus cannon bank was still working. He set the repair priority to the shields before he turned back into the fight. He instantly saw a Mara fighter coming up behind Alex's fighter. "Alex, behind you!" He yelled.

It was too little, too late. The Mara fighter released a massive group of Hornet missiles, punching through the Alex's weakened shields and ripping through the already heavily damaged hull. Chris rammed his throttle to full and got behind the Mara. He quickly dispatched of the Mara as the battle drew to a close.

Chris checked his sensors as the Mara exploded, there were no Shivan fighters left in the area. "Saber, status?" He asked.

"Both the Saber and the Pirate Killer are in reasonable condition." The commander of the Saber replied. "However, we only have one surviving pilot from the 135th. The Ravens are down four pilots and you're short three pilots. This was a costly victory."

"You're telling me." Chris replied. He blinked back the tears that were coming. There was no ejection system in a space fighter. If the fighter was destroyed, the pilot was killed too. He could hear Amy sobbing over the open squadron channel. He could hear combinations of swearing and sobbing from everyone else. "Swords, we're heading for home. I'll see you there."

Only an hour after they returned, the Swords assembled on the observation deck of the Asteroid base. Chris opened a bottle of alcohol and poured a cup for everyone. "To absent friends." He stated as he raised his glass. He them quickly downed it.

"They were so young." Anya stated as she broke into tears. She put her arms around Chris.

Amy threw her glass to the ground. "Damn it! The Shivans have taken everything from me." Amy collapsed to the ground and began to sob uncontrollably.

Louis was by her side instantly. He dropped to the floor and put his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he whispered to her.

Amy put her arms around him. "I know."

Chris was struggling with his own feelings. The loss of the three youngest pilots in the squadron would be a blow that the squadron would not easily recover from. That much was clear. It was then that he noticed Nick fuming just beyond the group. He walked over to him, taking Anya with him.

"It's all my fault," he was saying.

"No it's not." Anya stated, brushing her remaining tears away.

"Don't you get it." Nick was yelling. "I failed them, just like I failed my last squadron in Capella."

"Your beating yourself up over something that wasn't your fault." Chris replied.

"Not it is my fault, those kids were my responsibility, they were too young to die, they didn't deserve it. They deserved to live a better life, they deserved so much more."

"Then don't dishonor their sacrifice by blaming yourself." Anya replied.

Amy then surprised everyone by standing up and saying, "she's right Nick. I don't blame myself for my brother's death. I'm just going to get even with the Shivans for this." Amy's eyes were very red, but given the tone of her voice, icy cold, they looked like someone who had just been push beyond the edge. "We have a duty. And we're going to do that. Now we even have a reason to do it. In every battle from here on out, we will make the Shivans pay for their killing on this day. They will pay for their crimes against humanity."

Hours later, Chris was summoned to the Base Commander's office, which was little more than a converted closet. Chris entered and offered a crisp salute. The Commander motioned for Chris to sit. "Commander." The Base Commander stated. "You've suffered the least losses, so that's why I'm having this conversation after the others."

"I understand." Chris replied. "But that doesn't make the losses any easier to take."

"I know it doesn't. I've lost more officers and pilots under my command than I can count. I've been a soldiers since twenty-three. Our resistance has been really battered down."

"I know sir. Eighteen pilots are dead, out of thirty-two. That leaves you with only fourteen pilots to use."

"Let me offer some consolation for those losses. In that last battle alone, the Shivans lost sixteen fighter squadrons. Add to that all your kills from previous missions. We have destroyed twenty-five Shivan convoys, forty Shivan fighter squadrons, and an assortment of capitol ships, including the Vesan and the Ravana your squadron destroyed at the Repair Yard. Believe me, they didn't die in vain."

"That still doesn't make their losses any easier to bear, especially for Amy." Chris paused. "She lost her brother for god's sake."

"I know, I know." The Commander paused, then shook his head. "I'm still going to need you and the Swords. You're the only remaining fighter squadron with enough pilots to continue active operations. I want you to try and get some sleep."

"I'll try." Chris stood up and walked out of the room. He started to walk towards his quarters.

"Commander." Sydney shouted at him from down the hall. "I need a word with you."

Chris waited for her to catch up, then began walking again. He braced himself for another round of consolations. "What is it Chief?"

"I'm joining the Swords."

Her statement was a complete surprise. He stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"I'm joining the 77th, effective immediately."

"But you're an engineer."

"I'm also a competent pilot. You're going to need me if you plan on, and believe me I know you are, attacking the Shivans for this."

"Denied, I'm not losing another rookie."

"I'm no rookie. I graduated flight school at the top of my class."

"That doesn't mean anything. I need veterans, not hotshots who'll just get themselves killed."

"Don't give me that hotshot crap."

"See what I mean. You have no idea what you're getting into. And we won't be there to always bail you out."

"To bad, I'm going anyway. I'm not asking you to babysit me."

"That's exactly what your doing. You won't survive a day in combat."

"Try me."

"Fine, let's get to the simulators, me versus you." He walked down to the simulators that were on the base and loaded up a simple dogfight scenario. He climbed into his simulator and strapped down the helmet. He was flying a Perseus fighter, armed with Subachs and Tempests.

A second later, another Perseus appeared. "Ready when you are commander." Sydney stated, her voice icy.

Chris rammed the throttles forward and shot towards her fighter. Sydney copied the maneuver. In less than a second, they passed each other at maximum speed. He then turned to follow her around the turn. However, she actually bounced off his shields and fired a pair of shots into Chris's rear shields.

Chris swore and then rammed his afterburners, causing his ship to vibrate. He then braked, and swung his nose around, firing as he went. He completely missed Sydney, who was coming around in a spiral. She hit him with a group of Tempest missiles before he got away.

Chris raced after Sydney as she accelerated away from him. Chris slowly gained the distance he needed on her and right when he was prepared to fire, she stopped her fighter quickly and pulled up. Too late to change course, Chris realized that she had him. The simulator rattled as Sydney blew Chris away.

Chris yanked himself out of the simulator just in time to see Sydney swagger over. She played with a small amount of her blond hair as she smiled. "So, do I get to join the Swords?"

"Yes, you do." There was neither annoyance or pride in the statement. "But I'm telling you now, that our chances of survival are slim, especially since we lost all those pilots yesterday. You're Beta 4, welcome to the Swords."

Only an hour later, the alarm sirens began wailing again. Then a voice over the station intercomm stated. "The GTVA is coming, all combat personnel report to action stations. All pilots to the briefing room. Repeat, the GTVA is coming."


	10. The Firestorm Battalion

Squadron Members of the 77th Swords (Updated)

Commander Christopher Manstein (Squadron Leader, Alpha 1)

Lieutenant Anya Mitchell (Alpha 2)

Lieutenant Louis Alba (Alpha 3)

Ensign Jack Johnston (Alpha 4)

Captain Amy Junique (Beta 1)

Senior Lieutenant Gordon Zimmerman (Beta 2)

Lieutenant J.G. Franz Albertz (Beta 3)

Chief Warrant Officer Sydney Burkman (Beta 4)

Captain Nick Hothsteen (Gamma 1)

Ptah Lieutenant RaNah (Gamma 2, Vasudan Pilot)

Ptah Lieutenant SiHah (Gamma 3, Vasudan Pilot)

The alarm sirens wailed incessantly as every man or woman on the Asteroid Base scrambled to get to their action stations. The hallways were jammed full of technicians and officers. The state of activity on the Base had never been so high. It seemed that the station suddenly had four times the number of people manning it. The pilots on the base were all in the briefing room. The room was almost empty with the loss of so many pilots the previous day.

The Base Commander entered the briefing room practically galloping. He bounded up to the front of the room were he slid in a disc into the projector, the image of a Shivan fleet appeared. "This is the Shivan fleet around the jump node to Vasuda Prime." He stated. "In less than four hours, the GTVA will send the newly commissioned 6th fleet through the node. The Shivan fleet consists of three Lucifer superdestroyers, two Ravana destroyers, four Lilith cruisers, and six Cain cruisers."

Louis whistled, "that's a lot of firepower."

"You're very right in that statement. That's why we have to provide a distraction. The Saber and the Pirate Killer will never stand up to a frontal assault. Instead, we will use the Mussolini to cover them in a sensor jamming field. Gamma wing, now including Ptah Lieutenant SiHah from the 135th, will be armed with basic TAG missiles. They will plant these beacons on the larger targets in the area, such as the Lucifer superdestroyers, and the Ravana destroyers. When those beacons start transmitting, the Saber and Pirate Killer will open fire with their forward beams from over a thousand kilometers away."

"Will the cannons be effective at that range?" Amy asked.

"Yes. The beam cannons maintain destructive force over distance, that's their strongest part. That is why this plan will give us enough firepower to cut a portion of the Shivan fleet to shreds."

"What about the other portion?" Gordon asked.

"The Shivan fleet is currently in a blockade position around the jump node. They are expecting us to come through it. We have to give the impression that our strength is much stronger than it really is. We have to make them think that they should turn around and face us. That is when we will signal the GTVA and they will send the 6th fleet through the node. I'll personally be directing the battle from the Mussolini."

"How big is the 6th fleet?" Chris asked.

"The 6th fleet is not a traditional fleet. The core members of the fleet include a trio of heavily modified Orion destroyers. These destroyers are known as the Firestorm Battalion. They are called the Fire Dawn, which always comes through the node first, the Fire Dance, which is always second, and the Fire Dusk, which is always last. The rest of the fleet consists of several Deimos corvettes, Aeolus cruisers, and a new ship, the second of it's class, the Stalwart, a Saphah class frigate. It will resemble the Cypher you saw not to long ago."

Louis whistled again. "That's a lot of firepower."

"But you all know what's at stake. If we don't draw the Shivan's attention away from the jump node, the fleet will be slaughtered. You will have to hold your own until the Firestorm Battalion can launch all of their fighters, which totals eighteen fighter squadrons. Are there any questions so far?"

"How long must we draw their attention?" RaNah asked.

"Honestly, we don't know, we're assuming the more destructive we are, the more the Shivans will want to destroy us. Which mean they will need to turn their ships around to try and hit the Saber. They will lack targeting data, so their efforts will take the coordinated firepower of the entire fleet to have any chance of success. As soon as they are turned, the 6th fleet will enter the jump node and will be here in three minutes."

"Now, to craft and individual wing assignments." The Commander cleared his throat. "Alpha wing will fly Artemis bombers and will blast away at the cruisers. Beta will fly Ares heavy fighters and are charged with protecting Alpha. Gamma will fly Serapis fighters, which will combat the enemy fighter wings, providing general superiority. Raven squadron, designated Delta, will fly Erinyes fighters and must also provide general superiority against all hostile fighters. I cannot stress the importance of neutralizing as many enemy fighters as possible. Half of the fighter squadrons coming off the flight decks of the Firestorm Battalion will be flying Hydra bombers, the new Artemis bomber. Enemy fighter threats must be dealt with quickly. We're also bringing in a group of four Hygeia support vessels, they will reload the cyclops torpedoes of Alpha wing. Delta wing will have a secondary objective to keep those support ships alive. Any questions on the mission?"

"So we're flying Artemis bombers loaded to the gills with cyclops torpedoes." Anya stated.

"That's correct, we need you to dump as many warheads as quickly as you can. I honestly wish we had some bigger bombs, but Helios torpedoes weren't given to us before we began this operation. We want you to take the time in between bomb dropping to shoot as many beam cannons off the destroyers too. Remember, the Lucifer superdestroyers aren't invulnerable, they don't have the special shielding that the original Lucifer had. If all goes well, we're going to be able to massacre these Shivans and bring in enough firepower to clean out the Harbringer, wherever it is. Now, I've got to get on that AWACs ship, I want you all ready to go within a half hour."

Chris pulled Anya aside after the briefing. He had a growing feeling of dread, dread that he would lose Anya in this battle. He faced this dread every time they went into battle, but it was greater now that they we facing greater odds than ever before. "Anya," he began, "I'm worried." His voice failed him. He took a deep breath. "I don't want to lose you, but I can't..... I can't shake the feeling of dread."

Anya put her arms around his neck and pulled him close enough so she could kiss him. "All we have is faith, in each other, and our squadron members. I've got the same feeling, and it's awful. I would be devastated if you died, as I know you would be if I did."

Chris relaxed slightly in her grip. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Just for being here for me. I owe you more than I can ever repay."

"I owe you just as much. I guess that makes us even." She kissed him again. "However, we'd better get down to the hanger. We have a battle to win."

Chris razed his Artemis bomber off the fighter deck's metal plating floor easily, then shot out into space. He could already see the Saber, Pirate Killer, and Mussolini arrayed together, ready for the subspace jump. He stopped his bomber just below the Saber and slowly, his squadron joined him.

"I cannot believe such trash serves in the GTVA." SiHah stated harshly over the comm."

"What are you talking about?" Nick replied.

"The Saber, Pirate Killer, and Mussolini are former Hammer of Light ships."

"I resent that Gamma 3." The Vasudan commander of the Saber replied harshly. "I will admit that I once served them, but the attempted murder of our own Vasudan brothers was impossible for me to take. Not to mention, Hammer of Light doctrine was to flee at the sight of Shivan aggressors, not to engage, even to defend ourselves. We were not to engage the gods. I will never soil my honor by doing such an action. The Shivans also destroyed Vasuda Prime. No gods would ever do such a thing. That was when my service to the Hammer of Light ended. I defected to the PVN shortly there after, where we then were assigned a task force, assigned to hunt down all Hammer of Light traitors."

"So that's how you got the small battle group?" Louis asked.

"Correct Alpha 3. The Saber was a gift for our exceptional service in hunting down Hammer of Light traitors. The Mussolini was added along with the Pirate Killer from groups of mercenaries that joined our crusade against the Hammer of Light."

"Explain how a military grade AWACs ship ended in the hands of mercenaries." Gordon stated.

"The Mussolini belonged to a civilian science station. This station was in the middle of a turbulent nebula in Tanis Australius. They were sold the Mussolini to aid in their detection capabilities, which are significantly better than even standard AWACs, due to the scientific nature of it's mission. I am a Vasudan warrior, I will not flinch from my duty to the GTVA."

"But you still believe the Shivans are more than they appear?" Chris asked.

"Yes. They are obviously not gods, but I believe there is more to them than their xenophobic tendencies. If only we could understand them, talk to them. That however, seems impossible."

"I brings up an interesting point, why did the Shivans destroy the Capella star?" Anya added. "I mean, there had to be some real reason for it. They lost eighty juggernaughts just to blow it up. It had to have been for something."

"My personal theory is that it created a bridge to an unknown star system, maybe another galaxy or dimension. Maybe it was a way for them to go home. That still doesn't make it easy to understand why they're here in Alpha Centauri, or what the Harbringer's crew is doing.."

"All forces," The Base Commander's voice boomed over the comm. "We're going to enter subspace in a few moments. All wings, report in."

"Alpha 1 here, ready to go." Chris stated.

"Beta 1 here. Beta wing is ready to go." Amy stated.

"Gamma 1 here, engines are primed and ready." Nick seemed excited.

"Delta 1 here. Delta wing is ready for battle. May god protect us." The leader of Raven squadron was obviously a religious man.

"This is the Saber. All systems are ready for battle."

"This is the Pirate Killer, we're set to go."

"This is Support 1. All warheads are loaded. We're ready to go whenever you're ready."

"All ships, enter subspace." The Base Commander stated.

The GTVA pilots exited subspace only four kilometers from the Shivan battle group. Chris quickly noticed that the Lucifer superdestroyers were missing. "Command, we're not reading any of the Lucifers." He stated. "However, I've got confirmation on two Ravanas, four Liliths, and six Cains. Shall we proceed."

"Proceed as planned." The Base Commander replied. "Gamma wing, the Saber and Pirate Killer are on-station, TAG the Shivan destroyers."

"Roger that." Nick replied.

Three Serapis fighters raced ahead of Chris. Chris accelerated to full. "Alright, everyone keep your eyes open. I don't see any Shivan...."

"Shivan fighters are launching from both Ravana destroyers." The Base Commander stated. "Gamma wing engage once you have launched your TAG missiles. Alpha, target the Lilith cruisers. You primary objective is to neutralize their beam cannons, so save your torpedoes."

"Roger that." Chris replied. "Anya, take the second Lilith, I've got the first. Louis, attack the third, Jack the fourth. Remember, target the main cannon, then the secondary beam cannon. Use one torpedo on the main cannon. Then regroup with me." Chris targeted the Lilith's primary beam cannon. He then raced towards it.

"Here comes the Maras." Amy yelled.

"Got one!" Gordon screamed.

"And another." Franz yelled excitedly.

"You like that." Sydney taunted as she obviously destroyed her first target.

Chris ignored the insane amount of radio chatter and focused on his target. He was closing rapidly. As soon as his torpedoes began to lock onto the target, the flak from the Lilith's side cannons started showering him. Chris redirected the power from his engines to his shields. He was quickly right on top of the cannon, in which he fired his torpedo. He road the shockwave from his torpedo for a short distance before turning around and firing at the second beam cannon just in front of the engines on the Lilith. The second beam cannon quickly became a smoking crater.

Chris pulled up just in time to see the first shots from the Saber and Pirate Killer slam into one of the Ravana destroyers. True to the Commander's word, the beam cannons left deep gashes in the destroyer's armor. The second shots left equally destructive marks in other locations on the same destroyer.

"Got the cannons." Anya yelled.

"Same here." Louis screamed.

"Rejoining." Jack stated.

"Command, what's our next target?" Chris asked.

"We've softened up the one destroyer, and the other is turning. Target the damaged destroyer, we're switching targets and calling in the 6th."

"Alpha, target the damaged Ravana's weak points. Let's blow that thing up." Chris linked all of his torpedo banks and raced for the Ravana. It was practically unheard of for a single bomber to fire off six torpedoes at once, but it was possible. Chris watched as each set of torpedoes slowly begun to lock onto the Ravana's hull. Meanwhile, Chris and his wingmen closed the distance with the destroyer, getting hammered by the flak cannons.

Once they were very close, they released their torpedoes. Twenty-four cyclops torpedoes impacted the destroyer at once. The results were devastating. Massive fissures formed all over the Ravana and plasma started leaking from all over the ship.

"She's going in!" Louis screamed, just as a massive explosion tore through the destroyer's hull.

Chris road the shockwave out of danger, but severely depleted his shields in the process, just as a Mara fighter targeted him. Chris threw his bomber into a spiral, trying to bring the Mara into his sights. He managed to get four shots into the Mara's full functioning shields, before the Mara jumped out of his sights.

Chris took few shots into his rear shield, which he quickly transferred energy from his other shield quadrant to recharge. He then rammed the throttle to full reverse. The Mara fighter raced past him. Chris fired mercilessly as the Mara raced past, punching through it's shields with his Prometheus cannons. Amy finished it off with another burst from her Prometheus cannons.

It was then, that an Orion destroyer came racing through the jump node. Written on it's side was the Fire Dawn. It opened fire with all it's beam cannons the second it came through, vaporizing the second Ravana destroyer. It then shot past the Shivan fleet, turning as it went. Then another Orion destroyer came through the jump node, this one had Fire Dance written on it's side. It used it's beam cannons to slice through three of the Lilith cruisers, just as the Fire Dawn fired a second time, vaporizing the remaining Lilith and two Cain cruisers.

Next came the third Orion destroyer, the Fire Dusk. It, the Fire Dance, and the Fire Dawn quickly vaporized the remaining four Cain cruisers. Then, the remainder of the 6th fleet came through, including four Deimos corvettes, four Aeolus cruisers, and the Stalwart. Then a large convoy of Triton freighters came racing through the jump node, followed by several argo transports and two Vasudan Sobek corvettes.

Then the fighters began to come racing off the flight decks of the three Orion destroyers. In only a minutes all eighteen fighter squadrons were arrayed around the fleet. Chris managed to get a good look at one of the Hydra bombers, which looked almost identical to his Artemis bomber except that it was painted grey with black and red stripes. The Hydras were also flying much faster than the Artemis bomber's top speed.

"This is Admiral Loyde." Admiral Loyde was on board the Fire Dawn. "Admiral Kristine Loyde and Admiral Yaleson are on the Fire Dance and Fire Dusk respectively. We're here to bail your asses out of the fire."

Chris smiled as the Mussolini, Pirate Killer, and the Saber exited subspace. They were saved. This operation had been an incredible success. Now all they had to do was track down the remaining Shivan forces and end the threat once and for all.


	11. A Gateway to the Heavens

As the GTVA fleet poured into the system, the Shivans prepared to leave. Their massive vessels entered a subspace portal hidden in a small nebula, deep in the system. This subspace portal was unlike any other. It's construction was entirely Shivan. It traveled farther than any other jump node in the know galaxy. As the Shivan fleet entered the node, the usual blue-green glow of subspace was replaced by a red glow. The subspace portal led to another universe.

Chris stood on the observation deck of the Fire Dawn. He had never served on a ship that was so radically different. All around him, the Fire Dawn looked like any other ancient Orion destroyer, but it's technology, weapons, sensors, whatever, were the most advanced in the GTVA. He had seen what the Firestorm Battalion could do to a Shivan capitol ship.

He was standing alone. Alone was a relative term. No one was speaking to him, but the observation deck was alive with activity. Mainly pilots were on the deck, with an occasional officer mixed in.

Chris was taken unaware as the Admiral in command of the Fire Dawn approached him from behind. The Admiral had a ragged look to him, with his black hair in a tangled mess."Commander Christopher Manstein. It's a pleasure."

"Admiral," Chris snapped to attention. "Sir."

"Relax. I'm not a stuffy assed admiral who will sit here and quote the regs to you. I'm Admiral Sean Loyde."

"I usually go by Chris."

"Just call me Sean. I've been studying the reports from your former commander. He spoke very highly of you, and of every member of all three squadrons. I'm impressed with everything you did here in Alpha Centauri."

"Thank you."

"I would promote you, but if you rank up any higher, you'll have to take a desk job. I don't think you want that."

"No. I prefer to stay with the squadron."

Another Admiral approached, this one with long golden brown hair and two blue eyes that were soft as pearls. "Sean, what did I tell you about pilots."

"Nothing." Sean replied innocently.

"So who's your pilot friend?"

"The Chris, the commander of the Swords."

She shook Chris's hand gently. "I'm Admiral Kristine Loyde."

"Are you two siblings?" Chris asked.

"Siblings, hardly." Kristine smiled broadly. "Try husband and wife."

"But the GTVA code of conduct."

"We don't care." Sean replied earnestly. He then reached over and kissed Kristine. "Nor do we care if any of our pilots do it. It gives them something to hold onto. That's something I would never take away from them. It also improves their combat efficiency."

"We also know about your relationship with Lt. Mitchell." Kristine added. "And don't worry, it's okay with us."

"How?" Chris asked.

"It was all in the massive report given to us by your old CO. He's been reassigned to Delta Serpentis."

"I've got to ask, are they building the subspace portal."

"Oh yeah, that's part of the reason we've got such a massive budget problem. Too many resources are going to that portal. I don't think we'll find anything there, even if we establish the portal. Earth couldn't have survived without the GTA. It's very likely that Earth either went through a civil war, or destroyed itself."

Just then the alarms began to wail. "What is it now!" Sean yelled. He yanked out his communicator. "This is Admiral Loyde, this better not be a joke."

"No sir," a voice from the other end said. "We've made sensor contact with a subspace portal, in the Alpha Centauri Nebula."

"No, you're kidding me."

"No joke sir. Except it's larger than the one from Gamma Draconis, and it's emitting more EM emissions than we can detect. That thing is capable of creating massive amount of power."

"Alright, I'll be right there." He closed the communicator. "Chris, assemble your squadron on the flight deck. While your at it, rally all the other fighter squadrons. Kristine, get back to your ship and relay the coordinates to the fleet. We're going hunting."

The dense fog of the Nebula made it difficult to judge the size of the portal. But only one of the interlocking components was larger than the Fire Dawn. Slowly, the rest of the fleet exited subspace near the portal. Their combined sensor strength was just barely enough to begin to gain accurate readings on the portal.

Admiral Sean Loyde stood at the front of his ship's bridge. He knew he had to make a decision. The portal was obviously Shivan in construction. Admiral Loyde knew that the portal led to wherever the Shivans had fled. But he also remembered the lessons of Gamma Draconis and Capella all to well.

His thought drifted to the statistics of the Capellan crisis. Fifteen battlegroups destroyed. Over twenty five million casualties. Over two million refugees now homeless. That left only a few battlegroups left in the GTVA after the crisis. Relations with the Vasudans were stronger than ever, but the Vasudan fleet was weaker than ever, as was the Terran fleet.

Then his thought remembered the most important casualty. To him at least. His and Kristine's one and only son, Lt. Jake Loyde, had been killed. The mere thought of it nearly brought Sean to tears. He exhaled deeply, calming himself, bringing his voice back under control.

"Communications, get me the GTVA security council." He stated.

Chris waited in the cockpit of his Ares heavy assault fighter. He was tensed, ready for a fight. The waiting was always the worst part. His sensors were detecting an encrypted transmission between the Fire Dawn and the GTVA security council. When he tried to decode it, his communication system told him that he didn't have the necessary clearance. He then looked at the code, level Omega. _That's why._ Chris thought to himself.

"Hey boss, you detecting this transmission," Louis stated over the squadron radio.

"Yeah. Can't decode it though." Chris replied.

"Want me to try?" Sydney asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I've got a higher level code than you do, remember."

"It's level Omega, don't bother."

"Your joking. That means one of two things. Either we've found Admiral Aken Bosch or we've discovered another subspace portal."

"Neither of which are good things." Anya added.

"All hands," Sean stated over the general communication channels, "stand... wait, we're reading incoming jump signatures. All fighters, launch, launch!"

Chris wasted no time. He rammed his throttle to full and rocketed out of the bay, with the entire squadron right behind him. "Swords are on station." Chris stated. "Awaiting orders." He checked his weapon banks. A Kayser and a Maxim, along with two banks of tornado swarm missiles. All showed green, indicating they were ready to fire.

"All fighters and bombers, maintain a close escort of the capitol ships. Do not get too close. We're opening fire in five, four, three, two, one. All guns.... FIRE!"

The entire 6th fleet opened fire with every beam cannons they had. The Shivan ships, all cruiser and freighter sized were obliterated in the first volley. However, another group entered just as the first group exploded. This time, the Shivans had a Lucifer destroyer. It was already releasing a cloud of fighters.

The Firestorm Battalion concentrated their entire volley on the Lucifer destroyer, severally damaging it, but not destroying it. Chris cringed as he saw the forward beam cannons on the Lucifer begin to charge up. He was shocked when the beams missed their targets, firing harmlessly into space.

"Yes, yes, YES!" Kristine yelled over the general communication channel. "The beam inhibitors worked Sean. They worked, we're invincible."

Then the Firestorm Battalion fired again, turning the Lucifer into space debris. Chris charged toward the incoming Mara fighters. The second he got a lock, he launched a group of eight tornadoes. The missiles blew the Mara apart. He then released a pair of countermeasures as he avoided a Shivan missile.

As he passed the several weakened formation of Maras, he sprayed Kayser fire from his quad gun bank, blasting it apart. He suddenly remembered just how powerful the Kayser was. He braked gently to swivel his nose around and quickly got behind another Mara. His missiles locked in less than a second and he fired, his missiles again tore the Mara apart.

The Firestorm Battalion fired once again as a third Shivan capitol ship group entered. At it's head was a Ravana destroyer, which was vaporized before it could get a chance to even try and shoot. It was then that the remaining Shivans quickly fled through the jump node.

"Never, never," Louis was almost crying over the comm, "have I seen something so beautiful."

Chris had to agree with Louis as the Shivan fighters, cruisers, and corvettes hastily retreated through the subspace portal. Chris also noted the strange color of the individual subspace portals. The red glow was odd. Normally, ships entered subspace with a blue portal.

"All fighters, return to your command ships." Kristine stated calmly.

The Swords were assembled in the squadron barracks, hours later. They were all still radiating confidence after the Shivan's great retreat. After all who couldn't. The Shivans had never withdrew. They had only been stopped once they had been all destroyed, or they had whipped out whoever they had come to destroy. A single GTVA battle group had stood up to, and stopped a major Shivan offensive in it's tracks.

A scientific team was already coming to Alpha Centauri to study the new portal. Once they arrived, the 6th fleet was going to immediately secure the other side of the portal. The scientific team was going to be at their location in the mourning. Admiral Sean Loyde had been very exact about the timing. At precisely 0830 the next mourning, all squadrons would be ready for launch, and the capitol ships would ferry them through the subspace portal and to wherever the portal led.

It was currently 2230 hours. Chris had given the orders for everyone to go to bed, and get some rest. RaNah and SiHah had their own area to themselves. It was enclosed by a divider. Anya, Amy, and Sydeny had something similar. Chris and the rest of the human males had their bunks in yet another enclosed area. Chris stepped out of his flight suit and crawled under his bunks covers. Nick was above him in the top bunk.

Chris lay on his back. While he was excited and feeling confident from the previous battle, he couldn't help but think something was not right about it. The Shivans had never before retreated. They had always come, and kept coming, until they couldn't accomplish their objective anymore. He knew that all to well.

He felt Anya slide into his bunk on top of him. He put his arms around her and held her in a gentle embrace. Anya's hair was loose, not tied back. She was dressed in shorts and a tee-shirt, the standard undergarments for GTVA pilots, as was Chris. She kissed him as she settled into a comfortable position on top of him.

Note: There has been a slight change in Chapter Ten. The original Admirals for the Fire Dawn and Fire Dusk have been renamed to Sean and Kristine Loyde.


	12. Revalation

At 0900 hours, the GTVA 6th fleet entered the subspace portal. They knew not where they were going. The only thing they knew was that they were traveling to an area never before explored by the GTVA.

They exited subspace through another subspace portal, and entered an area unlike any ever seen before. Directly in front of them, was a spectacle that had never been seen, the birth of a star. The clouds of interstellar dust were almost to the point of creating fusion. The star was born just as the GTVA ships all arrived.

Admiral Sean Lodye stood in awe at the forward windows of the Fire Dawn. "Sensors, record all of this." He yelled at the officers in the crew pit.

Kristine's hologram appeared to his right, transmitting from the Fire Dance. "Beautiful isn't it. It's just incredible to see."

"Indeed it is."

Admiral Richard Yaleson's hologram appeared to his left, transmitting from the Fire Dusk. "And there isn't a Shivan in sight. I wonder why?"

"Where do you think they went?"

"Let's break the fleet up." Sean stated. "If we break into smaller units, we can scan the system quickly."

"Good point. Should I stay behind and serve as a backup and command unit?"

"Yeah, I think you should. You can dance when the fire starts."

"You got it. Fire Dance, signing off." Kristine's hologram disappeared.

"Put me through the ship's intercomm." A tall man at the communications station nodded. "All fighter squadrons report to the command briefing room immediately."

The Swords were seated in the middle of the command briefing room. They were the smallest in number, only eleven. Every other squadron had at least 36 pilots, only twelve active at a time. The room was quiet.

Chris looked back as the doors opened and Admiral Sean Loyde entered. Sean immediately activated the projector, which displayed a two dimensional image of the system. "Here's what we know." Sean began. "We are in a system that is startlingly devoid of life. It is outside of our known galaxy, that much is clear. Our immediate goal is to learn more about our general area."

Sean pressed a button on a remote in his hand. The projector changed to display a list of ships and two patrol routes in the system. "We're going to divide into two groups, and search the system. The Fire Dawn will lead one group, while the Fire Dusk leads to other. The Fire Dance will be providing backup and a command station in the system. All fighter squadrons will run two hour patrol shifts. The 999th Black Stars are up first. Second group will be the 75th Emerald Moons. Third will be the 77th Swords along with the 64th Da-bomb squad. Fourth will be the 216th Typhoons. After that, the order will repeat."

Sean turned the projector off. "I'll be honest with you. We have no idea what is in this system. We have no idea what we could encounter here. We must keep up regular reports. If we don't, the GTVA will seal the node to the system. If we are in danger of being overrun, we will leave by the narrowest of margins. Stay frosty, we're in this to go home. Are there any questions." Silence. "Let's go. Black Stars, get down to the flight deck."

Only four hours later, the Swords were readying their fighters for patrol. They were all flying Perseus fighters, armed with the latest variant of the Kayser and the new Tornade MK IV swarm missiles. Chris embraced Anya before getting into his fighter. He fastened his helmet to his head and activated the fighter's avionics and engines.

"Swords, call out readiness." He stated into the radio.

"Alpha 2, all systems green."

"Alpha 3, ready to kick some ass."

"Alpha 4 ready."

"Betas 1-4, are all showing green."

"Gamma 1, ready to go."

"This is Gamma 2 my craft is ready."

"Gamma 3 here, my craft is ready for battle."

"This is the 77th Swords." Chris stated. "Requesting permission to lift off."

"Permission granted Swords." A female flight controller stated. "64th, you have clearance to depart once the Swords are out of the hanger."

"Roger that." The leader of the 64th replied.

Chris rammed the throttle to full and shot out of the hanger, followed by the rest of the squadron. He targeted the Fire Dawn and matched speeds, then heading. Once all of it was locked into his navigation computer, he engaged the autopilot. He then switched his sensors over to active scanner and leaned back in his seat.

"So, two hours of this shit?" Sydney asked over the squadron frequency.

"Yeah." Jack replied. "But don't complain, we had to do far more in Alpha Centauri."

"Hell yeah." Louis replied. "Four hours of mindless patrol, remember. About three months ago, before all this started."

"Before so many of us died." Amy stated quietly.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"I mean, I didn't mean to belittle all that's happened."

Jack whistled. "Really? Louis, what happened to you?"

"Hey, shut up Jack."

"Seriously, Louis are you on drugs?"

"No, I just have finally figured out that I'm not invincible. You nearly died in that battle in which we lost Alex, Nicole, and David. All of us nearly died in that battle."

"It is an important lesson." SiHah replied. "One which must be learned at some point in one's life."

"It is the Vasudan proverb of mortality." RaNah added. "The proverb is taught to all Vasudans. Emperor Konsu II has seen to that."

"Glad to know somebody's thinking about moral issues." Nick added. "We've been so busy fighting that we haven't had time to do anything of the sort."

"I don't think Mom and Dad will ever recover." Amy stated. "When I told them Alex had died... Mom severed the connection, in tears. I haven't heard anything since. I haven't even gotten a letter."

"Trust me, you can't ever recover." Chris replied. "You may be able to lessen the pain, but the scars will always be there."

"Heads up pilots." Admiral Sean Loyde's voice boomed over the radio. "We have unknown contacts ahead, lots of them."

"Are they turning to engage?"

"Negative, Chris, take the Swords ahead and try to get a better picture."

"And don't fire unless fired upon, right."

"You got it. Good Luck."

"Alright Swords, let's go!" Chris quickly accelerated to maximum speed. The Swords maintained formation as they rapidly began to close the distance with the unknown contacts, which were little more than blips on the radar screen at the moment.

Suddenly, three of the blips were identified. One was the Harbringer, another a Sathanas Juggernaut, and the final one a massive object unlike any ever seen before. "Fire Dawn, this is Swords Alpha 1." Chris yelled. "We've identified three contacts, the Harbringer, a Sathanas, and an object I've never seen before."

"Give us a description." Admiral Sean Loyde replied.

"Sensors say it's well over a hundred kilometers long. It's also circular in shape, with a massive space in the middle. It's almost like some kind of massive ring. It could be Shivan, then again, it might not. It's so complex that my scanners can't distinguish."

"Chris, keep your distance, but try to learn more."

"I'm currently reading power levels that are off the scale. Computer says they're so large that it can't display them."

"That would have to be well over the combined power of every reactor in the GTVA fleet, including planetary generators."

"Wait, something's happening." A translucent green barrier formed inside of the ring. "Fleet, a massive translucent barrier, looks almost like a liquid, has formed in the ring. The.... GOOD LORD. Fire Dawn, the Harbringer just went through it. It just disappeared. Same with the Sathanas."

"Is it possible they were destroyed?"

"Not likely, there is no debris, no ionization. Nothing to indicate that those two ships went down."

"Is there anything in the area currently?"

"Besides the ring, nothing."

"I'm calling the Fire Dusk, she'll be jumping in right on top of your position, we'll join you shortly."

The Fire Dusk appeared only seconds later, gliding out of subspace just in front of the Swords. It's fighters appeared only moments later. Chris led the Swords forward to get into a covering position of the Fire Dusk.

"Fighters, this is Admiral Richard Yaleson, Fire Dusk. We're getting some stranger readings from the ring. It looks like there was a temporary subspace node created there."

"What????" Louis stated in shock.

"Just what it sounds like. Apparently, this device can make a subspace node and then collapse it. Just like that."

"How is that possible?" Sydney asked.

"Don't ask me. I thought destroying a node required large amount of meason bombs."

"Fire Dawn to Fire Dusk." Sean Loyde stated. "Send a boarding team of marines, armed heavily to that ring. We need to figure out what's inside it, what makes it work. And if we can, shut it down."

"I'll send over Alpha Platoon immediately. Fighter, fly cover for the Fire Dusk, we're moving closer towards the ring."

"He's crazy!" Louis stated, clearly in shock.

"No I'm not Lieutenant. We're docking the whole destroyer because of the shear size of that thing. Do the math. It's like docking an Argo to a Colossus."

"Well.. now that you mention it....."

Jack laughed. "You were shut down Louis."

"Put a cork in it Jack."

It took three hours before the Fire Dusk finally managed to dock with the ring's one and only docking port. The Fire Dawn and the Fire Dance were only a few kilometers away, slowly circling the ring. Every fighter squadron was on patrol.

Captain Hans Gegourt met his platoon just outside the airlock. They all knew what they were about to do. They were prepared. Each soldier was in a full environmental suit. Each soldier was carrying a shoulder cannon version of the Subach HL-7. Each soldier knew that they're chances of surviving were slim, if they found Shivans on the ring.

He motioned forward and led the first squad into the area just beyond the airlock. He checked his suit's external monitoring system. Minimal oxygen, no gravity, and very little air pressure. He reached down and checked his gravity boots, which kept his feet on the floor. He then looked a his motion tracker. It showed nothing except the various shuffling of the troops.

"First and Second squads, follow me." He barked into the helmet mounted radio. The other squads had their own commanders and would all branch off to explore the various tunnels. He led his team down a tunnel that was larger than necessary for his troops. That was good however, as he wanted plenty of space if they got into a fight.

The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever. Hans noticed this as his feet began to ache. The only bright side was in the nonexistent gravity, his shoulder cannon didn't weigh anything at all. The troops around him were silent as they advanced. They knew that they wouldn't be able to hear anything coming.

Finally, they reached what looked like a door. "Mankowsky, Winters," Hans stated quietly. "Look for a control panel of some sort." He then pressed a button on his suits wrist transmitter. "Admiral Yaleson, we've reach what look like a door of some kind."

"Can you open it?" The Admiral replied.

"Possibly, we're search for a control panel of some sort. We'll blow the door down if this doesn't work."

"Keep me informed."

"Yes sir, and Admiral."

"Yes?"

"This place doesn't seem to be Shivan. I know I'm not qualified to make that decision, but it just doesn't look Shivan. The walls are blue and have a gentle appearance. I've been inside a Shivan ship before, their ships have red walls and are quite rough in appearance. But it's definitely not Terran or Vasudan either."

"I'll keep that in mind. Watch your back Captain."

"Aye sir."

"Sir." Mankowsky yelled. "We've found something. Looks like a control panel."

"Try touching it."

Mankowsky reached out and gentle tapped a large bump on it. The door didn't open, but instead three weapons of some sort came out of the walls. A hologram also appeared as a force field sealed the soldiers into the area.

"Greetings." The hologram stated. The hologram was of a human female, wear some sort of elaborate gown. "I am Natrissar. I am a computer simulation designed to give access to those who are worthy to the great ring."

"Who are you?" Han stated.

"Like I said, I am Natrissar. My soul is what powers the great ring. I am the gate keeper. Only those who are worthy may pass."

"I'm Captain Hans Gegourt, a soldier in the GTVA."

"Please explain GTVA, you are Atreasian, yet you do not bear their code of arms."

"I'm not Atreasian, I'm human, from Earth. The GTVA is the Galactic Terran Vasudan Alliance."

"You are Atreasian, the ring's sensor systems confirm it. You're genetic profile differs in only .000001 of your genes from the data last given to me. Have you come to seek your way home. If so, then this gate leads you only to death."

"What do you mean?"

"For the past ten millennia, the destroyers have used this gate. I cannot bare their access. They also possess the Atreasian genetic code, although they differ in 25 of their code. This gate provides to only know route to the home world of the destroyers."

"You mean the Shivans."

"If that is your name for the destroyers in their black and red vessels of war, then yes, the Shivans. For identification's sake, please identify Earth on this star map." A holographic map appeared. "Is Earth the third planet in this system?"

Hans looked carefully at the map. He counted all nine planets. "Yes, Earth is the third planet in that system."

"Bless the gods, you are the Atreasian decedents. The destroyers did not wipe you out. For your world, is the world of the first born."

Hans chose his words carefully. "What does that mean."

"It means that you are the inheritors of this great destiny. I shall open all of the ring to you. I will guide you to the control center."

The weapons disappeared back into the walls and the force fields deactivated. Then the door opened, and the hologram walked forward. Hans activated his transmitter. "Fire Dusk. We've been given full access to the rings system, and we even have a guide. Apparently, we're an almost exact match in genetics to the beings who created this installation."

"A guide?"

"It's a hologram, I'm guessing, of the beings who created this place, and they were human."

"Human?" The Admiral was puzzled. "But we're the first humans to have ever ventured this far out."

"I know Admiral. But this can't be fake. There's a great amount of history missing from our history books."


	13. The Real Destroyers

In only twenty four hours, the GTVA science teams had proceeded through the subspace portal in Alpha Centauri. They were escorted by the Vasudan 2nd fleet, led by the GVD Vasuda, the destroyer from the repair yard that the Swords had guard, so very long ago.

The science teams had fourteen Faustus science vessels, along with an aging Fenris cruiser that served as the leader of the fleet. Each Faustus vessel had an array of labs and resources for scientific research. Their names were simply Research 1 through Research 14. Their job was to begin to understand how the ring worked.

It was an enormous task, one made even greater by the shear size of the ring. To Chris, it really didn't matter. He was seated in the mess hall, at a small two person table. He spooned his food slowly. He wasn't really hungry, but he tried to eat anyway.

"What wrong?" Anya asked from across the table.

"I don't know." Chris replied honestly. "I've got this nagging feeling of dread. Of what I don't know. We're not even on duty."

"Maybe that's just it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we've been through so much recently, from the action in Alpha Centauri to the discovery of this ring. The inaction could just simply be causing you to feel like you're not doing something you should."

"Maybe you're right."

"You know I am." Anya smiled. "I'm a woman, that makes me far more perceptive than you'll ever be. As far as emotions are concerned."

"True." Chris smiled. "Guys can be perceptive though."

There conversation was cut short when an announcement boomed over the Fire Dawn's intercomm system. "All pilots, report to the briefing room. We are now at condition red."

"Condition red, that means battle stations in five minutes!"

Chris and Anya hastily drank some of their beverages before getting up abruptly and racing for the briefing room.

The briefing room was crowed with all of the pilots, from every squadron on the Fire Dawn. Admiral Sean Loyde was standing on a holoprojector, which meant that he was also briefing the pilots from all the other ships in the armada. On the display screen behind him the ring was showed from a real-time camera display.

"The Gate," Admiral Sean Loyde began, "as we've come to call it. Is more than just a subspace portal, as we first thought. The eggheads have determined that it is actually capable of creating a subspace node to any stable node in our galaxy, and seems to connect to a host of other Gates like itself. Their locations are a mystery."

He paused, letting the information sink in. "A computer in the control room contains the information needed to activate the Gate. It also contains records of every usage. That includes where the Shivans and the Harbinger went. GTVA command has given us our instructions. We are to follow the Harbinger, and successfully destroy or capture it. GTVA command would prefer the latter. Since we have no idea what we'll be heading into, I want everyone ready for battle. We launch in twenty minutes, any questions."

Silence answered him. "Alright, everyone head for your flight decks. The deck commander in the hanger will assign ships and weapons. Good Luck.

The Swords were the first to be readied. They were all in brand new Erinyes fighters, armed to the teeth with UD-8 Kaysers, Maxim cannons, and Tempest Hellbats, the newest version of the Tempest dumbfire rocket. Chris was sitting in his cockpit, his fighter primed and ready for a quick start. The engines hummed quietly behind him.

"All right! We're finally doing something." said Louis over the squadron's comm frequency.

"Personally, I prefer nothing." Amy replied. "If we never have to go into combat again, then it'll be too soon."

"Here, here." Nick replied.

"I have a mate on Aldebaran," SiHah commented. "I would like to leave the war so I could be with her."

"You're one of a kind." Chris stated. "Most of us are too young to have wives."

"I am of a proud thirty-six years of age human. I am a child by my species. You are at least an adult by your species, you are never too young, as long as you are ready."

The ship shook as it entered the Gate. "Wow," Jack said in awe. "We're crossing into the unknown."

"To boldly go were no one has gone before." Anya stated. "That should be the motto of the GTVA."

"This is definitely the plus side to this job." Sydney added. "And just think of it, in a few minutes we'll be the first ones out of the ship."

"Most likely into combat." Franz added, with a serious tone.

"True, but we can still hope not." Sydney's tone was optimistic.

The ship shook again, and the order came to launch. Chris rammed the throttles to full and toggled his afterburner, shooting out of the hanger like a lightning bolt, with the squadron in hot pursuit. Chris was shocked at what was in front of them.

The Harbinger was off in the distance, above a planet that was in a state of intense volcanic activity. Even from this far away, they could see the volcanoes erupting. Also above the planet were, three Sathanas juggernauts, two Lucifer superdestroyers, three Rakshasa cruisers, and over a hundred Lilith and Cain cruisers.

A transmission soon was broadcast from the Harbinger. "This is what you've come to destroy, all that remains of the Shivan race. Because of you and your actions, the once proud and strong race of the Shivans, our ancestors are soon to be extinct."

Doubt surged through Chris's mind. How could this be possible, the Shivans were nothing like Terrans, or Vasudans for that matter.

"I don't believe you." Admiral Yaleson replied.

"The Shivans were planning another attempt to wipe you from the galaxy when you decimated their advance fleet in Alpha Centauri, then disaster struck. The Shivan's homeworld, this world you see before you, began to tear itself apart. There is not even time to run now. The only route left open to leave this system is through the Gate."

"You're under arrest for treason against the GTVA, stealing GTVA property, and assault on GTVA personnel and equipment." Admiral Kristine Loyde yelled.

Then another transmission broke into the conversation. It was a series of tones. Chris immediately recognized it as morse code. His fighter's comm system translated it into the message. _Human, the traitors speak truth._

"This is impossible. Shivan vessel, transmit again." Admiral Sean Loyde was in shock.

This time, a scratchy voice, obviously from a voice synthesizer answered. "We are the ones you call Shivan." The voice was slow. "We wish to return home. For our species will not live long. We are the Atreasians. We are your ancestors. Years of struggle to survive turned us into who we are, turned us into a mindless species, fearful of others. The destroyers were defeated by us, but only a cost that turned our thriving culture into nothing."

"Then how are you like you are now? You aren't even close to us anymore."

"Many years would result in our change. We used genetic modification to adapt. Our bodies began stronger than our minds. We wish to learn about you."

"Do you even realize what you're saying." The commander of the Harbinger replied, to the Shivans. "These are the destroyers of your legacy. They've come to destroy you."

"They are the chosen race. You turn your backs on your own people. We do not believe traitors."

"Then suffer my wrath." The Harbinger's commander yelled. "For I am Admiral Aken Bosch. I command the destroyers."

Chris noticed at least fifteen jump signatures enter the system. "Uhh, Fire Dawn?"

"The destroyers have been waiting. I command then. I will rule the galaxy!"

Then Chris's targeting computer began to lock onto the new ships. Three of them were the size of Sathanas juggernauts, but shaped spherically with massive beam cannons pointing in all directions. Four of them were shaped like the Sathanas juggernaut, but had smaller engines and longer cannons that were larger, by a factor of five, than the rest of the ship. The remaining ships were about as large as the Saphah frigates, but with protruding from every inch of the ship. Each ship had the erie appearance of a Shivan ship, except that their ships were death black and radioactive green.

"All ships, charge beam cannons." Admiral Sean Loyde yelled.

The three Orion destroyers slowly turned so that they faced broadside with the Harbinger and it's escort fleet of destroyer ships. The Shivan fleet slowly turned and faced the Harbinger as well. Fighters began to spill from the fighter bays on the Shivan ships.

"Human, receive our aid." The Shivans transmitted from their capitol ship. "We transmit all we know. Please.... aid us."

"This is a momentous occasion." Admiral Sean Loyde stated over everyone's comm channel. "Blow the Harbinger apart. FIRE!" He yelled the last word with every ounce of energy he could yell with, as if it could increase the output of the beam cannons.

Every gun on the 6th fleet and the Shivan fleet opened fire simultaneously. Uncountable amounts of energy were poured into the Harbinger. The Harbinger was vaporized in seconds. Then the destroyers attacked, their purple beam cannons instantly cut the Shivan fleet in two. However, their beams missed the 6th fleet. The beam cannon inhibitors worked.

"CHARGE!!!" Sean Loyde yelled. "Fighters, Bombers, hit those ships with everything you've got."

Chris flew point for the entire Terran fighter screen as they charged at the Destroyer ships. As they near, they spotted the thousands of fighters launching from the bays of the Destroyer's largest ships. He picked one and opened fire. His Kayser rounds impacted a set of incredibly powerful shields. The Destroyer fighter fired a pair of missiles.

Chris deployed a pair of countermeasures, and then pursued his target, deafly aware the Anya was staying with him. When he got close in behind, he yanked all of the triggers on his flight stick, sending bolts of Kayser and Maxim rounds into his target. Still, the Destroyer fighter absorbed the rounds.

He reached down and dialed up the energy flow to his Kayser cannons. He then set the cannons to a rotating energy frequency. This time, his cannons punched through the fighter's shields easily and blew it to pieces. Amidst all the battle chatter he yelled, "set your guns to a rotating energy frequency. It will punch through their shields."

He selected another target. This one was harassing Sydney and Franz. Sydney's left engine was already shot up but she was still using her maneuvering thrusters to stay out of the way of the fighter's massive cannons.

Chris rammed his afterburners to catch up. "Together Anya." He stated over the comm to her. Her fighter inched up beside his and opened fire just after he did. They blew their target away in a single pass.

The Firestorm Battalion opened fire just as a lane opened. They poured beam cannons fire into the lead Destroyer ship. They targeted it's core. They were soon joined by the Sathanas juggernauts. After their cannons stopped firing, the Destroyer super ship exploded in a fireball, sending debris chunks the size of frigates in all directions.

All around the destroyer ships, Terran, Vasudan, and Shivan fighters fought side by side against the destroyers. Their efforts were not in vain, but their casualties were steadily increasing. Chris watched as SiHah's green blip turned red, then into a red circle on the squadron display.

"We lost SiHah!" Nick yelled.

"Sydney's disabled." Amy yelled. "Franz, keep her alive."

"I'm working on it." Franz yelled.

"Jack, turn to point zero five. We'll fly cover for Sid and Franz." Louis stated calmly. "Fire on my targets only."

Chris led Anya closer to where Sydney's fighter was slowly drifting farther away from the battle. Franz was circling around close, firing at the three destroyer fighters that were trying to get her. Jack and Louis swooped in, destroying one as Franz hammered another. Chris and Anya strafed the third.

"Support 3 is inbound." Franz stated, we only need to keep her safe a little longer.

A Hygeia support ship quickly raced towards Sydney's fighter, docking quickly. Microscopic robots were then deployed. They quickly swarmed Sydney's engines, repairing them in seconds. "Damage is repair, now reloaded missiles." The support vessel pilot stated. "Rearming and repairing complete mam. You're good to go."

"Swords, status regroup at entry point two." Admiral Kristine Loyde stated firmly. "You're to rendevous with a wing of Boanerges bombers. They are carrying a load of Helios torpedoes."

"Affirmative." Chris replied. "Swords, regroup." He led his squadron out of the melee and briefly, they were without enemy. His ship was only mildly damaged. However, most of the squadron was below fifty percent hull integrity.

Suddenly, the remaining destroyer ships leapt into subspace. Their fighters quickly followed. Chris was shocked. They had won.

He then noticed the massive numbers of casualties. Over 3/4 of the Shivan armada was destroyed, along with an unknown number of fighters and bomber. The 6th fleet was still in good shape, thanks to the beam inhibitors, but they had lost most of their fighter squadrons.

"All squadrons, return to your capitol ships." Admiral Sean Loyde stated, sadness evident in his voice.

Slowly, both the Terran and Shivan fleet began to pick up the pieces of their broken armadas.

End Note: Obviously, I've re-written everything Freespace in these last few chapters. I'm working towards a really wild finish. But I've been fighting a massive amount of writer's bloc recently. I'm going to have to start another story and work on it for a while, but I'll try to keep Devestation coming. Please, read and review and thanks to everyone who reviewed my story thus far.


	14. The Beginning, of the End

Author's Note: I'm back, and hopefully with less writer's bloc than before. As for your obvious confusion, I can only say, keep reading.

_It was certainly a sight_, Chris thought to himself. He was standing on the observation deck of the GTD Fire Dawn. Right beside the destroyer was a Sathanas Juggernaut. It easily dwarfed the Fire Dawn in size, and normally, it would be firing on the Fire Dawn, but the day had been anything but normal. He was simply trying to catch his breath, and let his mind understand what had happened.

He would never forget the memory of those massive black and green ships. Nor would he forget the fighters that had cost him another member of his squadron. He could also not forget the aid the Shivans had provided, in terms of their lives lost. The Shivan fighter squadrons had been decimated. These had not been the same units that he had faced in Capella. They seemed more human.

Admiral Sean Loyde walked up. "It's disconcerting, to say the least."

"Yeah." Chris responded. "And eighty or so of these things destroyed Capella."

"Now we've got one alongside us."

"At least we got Bosch."

"Unfortunately, we didn't. He was bouncing his signal off the Harbinger. We're guessing he's on another ship. It could've been one of the Destroyer vessels, it might not have. Either way I don't know."

"What's GTVA command got to say about this."

"I sent a message through the Gate, but I haven't heard anything about it yet. We're really far out here. Do you even think it's our business being out here?"

"We went after the Shivans, and found Admiral Bosch."

"Yeah, but we're so far beyond the boarders of the GTVA that it doesn't really matter what happens out here. If we die, no one will ever know."

"Yet, isn't it our job."

"Spoken like a true pilot of the GTVA. However, it isn't our job. Bosch is really outside our jurisdiction. Just because he's broken our laws doesn't mean he's broken, whoever's laws. And they obviously support him. That is, if they are the reigning government around here."

"Not like we've seen much of that."

"Exactly, we have no clue about any possible jump nodes in this area of space. We have no clue who's here.. besides the Destroyers and the Shivans."

"Have you heard anything from the Shivans?"

"No, they are still licking their wounds. These aren't the units we faced in our last two wars. Get some rest Chris, I'm going to need your squadron ready when we move out."

Chris walked slowly along the quiet and dim corridors of the GTD Fire Dawn. He was vaguely heading for the squadron barracks, but he was in no hurry. There was a simple elegance to the blocky design of the inside of the Orion class destroyer. It's design harkened back to a simpler time, a time when devastation wasn't so close.

He reached the squadron barrack almost a half hour after he had left the observation deck. He was tired, but not exhausted. His flight suit on the other hand, stunk. He took a shower and slid into his undergarments, a shirt and pants. He found Anya in the common area, she was out of her flight suit as well. Her black hair was loose and rested on her shoulders. He smiled as he looked into her eyes.

No words were needed to communicate between them. She pulled him into a strong embrace. The feeling of which, Chris never wanted to let go of. He held her firmly, but gently. He eventually leaned down and kissed her.

Morning, relative as it was on the Fire Dawn, came early. The Swords were called to the main briefing room. They stumbled in, all tired and still in shock from the previous battle. They instantly snapped into alertness when the saw what stood, our rather poised, at the head of the room. Standing there was a Shivan, all five legs, two of which were functioning like arms currently, the remaining three grounded the creature. It was a gruesome sight, and it had been the last of many GTVA marines.

A mix of Terran and Vasudan commandoes stood at attention on the outside edge of the briefing room. Sean entered at a full run. "Sorry I'm late. I was busy." Chris couldn't help but smile. Admiral Loyde had most likely spent last night with his wife. Admiral Loyde walked briskly to the central podium. "This is... ehhh, the Shivan commander. Let's just say I can't pronounce her name. She claims to be a matriarch of the Shivan species, which was once very similar to our own. It's obviously been some time sense then. I'll let her speak."

A scratchy voice filled the briefing room's speakers. It was a voice synthesizer. "Greetings, brothers of Earth. The dark tide known as the destroyers have enslaved us for generations. They are older than the ancients you came to understand so well. They are also very much alive. For generations, we fought their wars. Until recently, we have been bound to their wills." The Shivan matriarch screeched. "The destruction of Capella, was our first act of defiance. Our first act of true freedom. We sacrificed millions so we could save trillions of you. We regret we could not tell you, only attack you until you retreated beyond the system."

Chris glanced down as his fists, clenched in what should've been anger, but all he felt was shame. Anya placed a gentle hand on his. She squeezed gently. Chris released his shame and opened his hands, clasping Anya's in his.

"You are currently above our once proud second homeworld. We defeated the destroyers initially, but the conflict's dire nature forced us to turn ourselves into what we are now. Little remains of our culture, little remains of us, we wish to finally be reunited with you. We through ourselves on your mercy." The Shivan matriarch lowered it's massive body to the floor. "We are your humble servants."

Admiral Sean Loyde walked to the matriarch. He kneeled down next to her. "You are not our servants." He extended a hand. The matriarch hissed and made a gurgling sound. She then reached to touch Sean's hand with one of her upper legs. They shook hand and foot.

The Shivan matriarch stood back up, roared loudly. Then spoke through the voice synthesizer again. "Then let us be allies. We shall make amends for everything we have done. Starting with the annihilation of the remaining destroyer ships."

Suddenly, a young deck officer came racing into the briefing room. "Sir! Sir!" He yelled.

"Shut up about the damn sir and tell me what's going on!" Sean snapped.

"Destroyer ships are heading right for us. Millions of them."

"Millions?"

"Yes sir. Admiral Yaleson is already contacted the GTVA security council, we're to pull out of the system. In twelve hours... they're going to shut down the subspace gate."

"Matriarch, marshal your fleet and get through the gate. Ensign, after escorting the matriarch to her ship, tell Kristine to get the fleet back through the gate. We'll make our final stand there."

Admiral Sean Loyde stood at the head of the briefing room, before him was every pilot under his command. He also knew he was being listened to by every other pilot and soldier in the fleet. He breathed deeply before speaking. "You all know what we found in this system. You all know what is coming. I know that each and everyone of you knows what has to be done. The destroyers cannot be permitted through the gate. Our objective will be to set up a killzone at the event horizon of the gate. Thirty-five Mjolnir remote heavy beam cannons will be stations around the fleet aiming at the event horizon of the gate. Each of them is surrounded by sentry guns. Laid across the gate are seventy-five million mines. You all know it won't be enough. The defensive fleet consists of two Sathanas Juggernauts, two Lucifer superdestroyers, the entire 6th fleet, the GVD Memphis and Vasuda, and eighty five 12 ship groups of fighters. Support will be provided by all available support ships. The Vasudan eighth fleet is soon to be reinforcing our position. With them is an Orion destroyer, packed with as many meson bombs as possible. This destroyer will slam into the killzone if we become overwhelmed by numbers."

"I can't ask any of you to do this, but at the same time I have to. You all swore an oath, so did I. The GTVSA needs us to finish this war. This war must end now, and we must be the ones to end it. You're all united by one thing right now, a common enemy. Their single blade has made us brothers and sisters in arms. Flight controllers and deck officers will give you your assignments, give them hell because I sooner die than let them through the gate. We must win through, no matter the cost!" Sean finished will a triumph yell. "VICTORY AND HONOR!"

The yell was duplicated throughout the fleet. The battle hadn't even begun, but the destroyers were going to get one hell of a fight.

Chris kneeled down in the center of his squadron. "Who would've thought. That one tiny squadron in a backwater system would come this far?"

"The odds were against us." Gordon said.

"We've all lost friends. It's time to make good on our promise to avenge them. What we do today, is for Alex... for Nicole... for Sihah... for David... and for the trillions already killed by this endless series of wars."

"We're the Swords." Amy stated. "Our job has never changed. We are going down in history. I'm proud to serve besides everyone of you. Even you Louis."

"Hey... I'm not that bad."

"What are you talking about, you are that bad!" Jack replied.

"You watch your six flyboy."

"It's not you I have to worry about."

"For once... no!"

The whole squadron laughed.

"I started my career an engineer on the Aquataine," said Sydney. "But know I realize why that wasn't right. I was meant to be here this day. We were meant to be here this day."

"Swords, to your fighters." The deck officer announced. "All Swords will fly Ares heavy assault fighters."

They all stood up to leave. Louis stood up and embraced Amy in fierce hug. "Good luck." He said to her. She pulled him closer and kissed him, before heading to her fighter.

Anya corned Chris right next to his fighter. She flung her arms around him. He kissed her in return. "Dying is not permitted." She said to him.

"Same goes for you. Once this is over, I've got something for you."

"What is it, no sense waiting."

He pulled her closer. Then he pulled a silver ring from his finger. "It's a family ring. Anya..."

She put her hand to his mouth. "Yes."

Nothing else mattered. He placed the ring onto her out stretched finger. He kissed her once last time, before climbing into his cockpit. She raced to hers. Chris buckled down his crashed webbing, fastened his helmet. He engaged his Ares' primary systems, then lifted off, his squadron close behind.

One thousand two hundred fighters poured from the fighter bays of the fleet. The single largest fleet engagement that the galaxy had every seen. The fighters all assembled around their respective command ships. Chris looked out his cockpit and into the bridge of the Fire Dawn. Hey could see Admiral Sean Loyde. Sean saluted Chris before turning around and walking deeper into the bridge.

Two Shivan Mara fighters stopped in front of Chris's fighter. "Commander." The lead fighter transmitted. "The matriarch sends us to complete you're twelve. We are the best of our species. May our blades prove equal to your's."

"Thanks guys." Chris replied. "You're now Swords Gamma 3 and 4."

"Nick," Louis added. "No one can say you discriminate. You're wingmates are Vasudans and Shivans.

"Kill the chatter." Sean stated loudly over the general channel. "All fighters will stand back unless called forward. First group of destroyer vessels will come across the event horizon in ten seconds... five seconds... four... three... two... one... here they come, all ships prepare to fire on my mark."

Subspace portals became to open, and destroyer ships began to pour through. The battle had begun.


	15. A Glorious Achievement

_Author's Note_: This will be the final chapter in Freespace 2: Devastation, I hoped everyone enjoyed reading it. I am truly thankful for those of you who gave me feedback to my story and aided me in a few minor plot details. That's the job of readers and, once again, thanks. For those of you who enjoyed this, there will be a sequel Freespace 2: The Reunification. I've included a short preview at the end of this chapter.

Destroyer ships poured through the gate. Each ship was huge and menacing. The radioactive green from the destroyer ships produced a greenish hue on the fleet arrayed against them. Immediately, the GTVSA fleet opened fire. Green, red, and orange beams shot out from the various ships, firing into the rapidly expanding cloud of destroyer ships. The Mjolnir RBCs only took a second longer, firing heavy green beams indiscriminately into the cloud. Several Destroyer ships exploded from the massive barrage. It was not enough.

For every Destroyer ship that went down, thirty more poured through the gate to take it's place. The Destroyer fleet then returned fire. Thousands of purple beams fired at the GTVSA fleet. Only a handful of the beams hit, impacting the Vasuda and one of the Sathanas Juggernauts. The beams ripped deep gashed into the out hull plating.

Chris led his squadron out of the line of fire. They were now a kilometer from the Fire Dawn. He switched his targeting system over to fighters only and began actively scanning for the inevitable Destroyer fighter swarm.

It came, millions of Destroyer fighters and bombers spilling from the bays of the Destroyer vessels. They were so thick that the subspace gate could no longer be seen by Chris. He double checked his weapons. "Keep your distance Swords." He warned.

"We've got to do something!" Louis stammered as several thousand of the Destroyer fighters were blasted apart by a combination of friendly and enemy beams.

"Not in that kind of killzone!" Amy replied.

"We bring them in close." Anya added. "Then we let our capitol ship's antifighter beams and flak cannons even the odds."

"This is the Stalwart." The Stalwart's commander stated over an open channel. "Destroyer bombers are headed for our Aeolus cruisers. Swords, Lonestars, Black Pearls, Da-Bomb squadrons move to intercept."

"Affirmative." Chris replied. "Gamma target any warheads that get launched. Alpha and Beta will handle the bombers themselves."

A chorus of affirmatives was the reply. Chris led Anya towards the Aeolus cruisers. "Break by pairs and engage!" Chris said calmly. He zeroed in on the lead bomber. The bomber was large, with twin bomb bays flanking either side of the cockpit and a massive engine cowling on the back. He activated his weapon targeting system and fired a Trebuchet missile into the bomber. The missile impacted the front shield of the Destroyer bomber. The shield collapsed almost instantly. Chris and Anya both perforated the bomber's exposed armor with Kayser ammunition. The bomber split in half and exploded.

Chris then targeted the next bomber in the flight. He closed in behind, Anya fired a Trebuchet, and he blew the engine's clear off the bomber's fuselage. The Destroyer fighter was no longer a threat, drifting without power. Chris blew it to pieces anyway. He and Anya then destroyed another, and another, and another. Every time they destroyed a bomber, more seemed to arrive. Every second brought them closer to the group of four Aeolus cruisers. Flak was exploding everywhere. Chris glanced at his shield gauge as he blew away yet another bomber. It was reading moderate damage, nothing serious. He then checked his wingman status display. Sydney's fighter had taken damage, RaNah was also damaged. Neither was damaged enough for the display to light up red.

Anya was matching his every maneuver, taking all available shots. Chris spotted the two Shivans in fierce combat with a group of bombers. He led Anya to the perfect firing position, then the two of them opened fire. From the Destroyer bomber's perspective, it was raining Kayser fire. Two of the three bombers exploded. The Shivan pilots nailed the third bomber quickly.

"Our thanks human." The Shivan pilot replied.

"Anybody, need help." A pilot from the Lonestars was screaming. The pilot was Lonestars Beta 4. He was caught between two Destroyer fighters.

"Hang on Lonestar B4." Chris said. "Break port on my mark. Anya, Tornadoes! B4, mark!" Chris and Anya unleashed a swarm of sixteen tornado missiles. Each pack of four hit there respective targets. The Destroyer fighters exploded.

"Thanks for the help Swords A1 and A2." The pilot replied, the relief was pouring off the pilot's voice.

"Your wingman dead B4?" Anya asked.

"They hit him first. Didn't stand a chance."

Chris blasted another Destroyer bomber. "Then keep up. We've got plenty of targets."

"Swords," Admiral Sean Loyde stated. "We've got a problem. An NTF Iceni class ship just jumped in."

"Bosch." Chris replied.

"I want you guys to disable and disarm that ship. You're not carrying anything capable of doing critical damage, so weapons free on their subsystems."

"Hopefully this isn't another decoy." Louis added.

"I'm vectoring the Saber Tooth squadron to take over in your area. Move out now!"

"Swords, you heard the man. B4, stay with Saber Tooth squadron."

"Aye, sir." Lonestars Beta 4 replied.

The Swords regrouped just above the field of combat. For the moment, the battle seemed almost beautiful. The flashes of light, the brilliant explosions. In all, the GTVSA was doing well. Several ships were scarred by beam cannon fire, but none were lost. Hundreds of destroyer ships had been destroyed. Chris expanded his targeting computer's filter to include Iceni class warships. The Iceni was in the center of the massive Destroyer fleet, which was still growing. The RBCs were still hammering the enemy fleet.

"Anyone else get a bad feeling about this?" Nick asked. "We shouldn't be doing this well."

Suddenly, a Shivan Lucifer superdestroyer blew up, hammered by at least eighty different beams.

"Let's do our job." Chris said. "We've got three engines to take down. The two primaries and a secondary. Alpha will take the port engine. Beta will take starboard. Gamma, you get the secondary. Then we all target the weapons arrays on the ship."

"How are we supposed to get through the fleet without being cut to ribbons?" Jack asked.

"Don't get hit." Gordon replied.

"There's a weak point near the top of the Destroyer formations. That's our ticket in. I'm marking it with a nav point. Keep moving, don't stop. Shoot at anything that moves against you but don't agitated the big ships."

The Swords raced down like vultures. The Destroyer fighters and bombers were engaged with the other squadrons, far away from the Iceni. The Swords easily dodged the flak sent up at them and were soon past the majority of the Destroyer ships and were inside what was almost a half sphere. Chris glance out his right viewport. He could barely see the Vasuda, Memphis and the other capitol ships.

The Iceni's gunner began firing as soon as the Chris came within range. He dodged the intense flak and beam fire, but just barely. He targeted the port engine and slowly got behind the Iceni. He fired a pair of Trebuchet missiles into the engine. The engine was hammered by another six Trebuchets before being pummeled by sixteen guns worth of Kayser fire. The engine shut off as the damage mounted. Within seconds, the Iceni was without engines. The Swords eagerly blasted away the individual turrets. They then blasted off all comm antennas and destroyed the comm system. The Iceni was helpless.

Chris was about to contact Admiral Sean Lodye when a pair of Vasuda Stasis freighter came out of subspace right next to the Iceni. "This is the Mesh Ra Commando wing to 77th Swords," the lead freighter transmitted. "Please provide cover. Our mission is to capture the Iceni."

Both transports docked with the Iceni. The Swords slowly circled the Iceni. Chris suddenly spotted eighteen Myrmidon fighters exit subspace. They were painted black. Death black. It was hard to see them against the back drop of space. Missile alarms went off in Chris's cockpit as the Myrmidons opened fire. Chris immediately accelerated to full throttle. "Get those Myrmidons!" He yelled. He dropped eight countermeasures, spoofing all but one missile, which slammed into his fighter's shield. The shield lost most of it's integrity.

He equalized his shields as he turned to engage. His missile system refused to lock on, but his guns worked perfectly. He fired at two Myrmidon's in passing. As they passed he got a good look at them. They still had the basic body shape of a Myrmidon, but that was where the similarities ended. Their engine's left orange con trails behind them. The missile banks had been expanded, and extra gun banks had been added. The hull pulsated with an inner glow. As he hit the lead Myrmidon, it's shields glowed bright green as each shot hit, doing only minimum damage.

Anya added her shots to Chris's. Together, they managed to bring the shields down on the Myrmidon. Once the shields were gone, the Myrmidon broke apart easily. They quickly target another Myrmidon, it launched a swarm of rear firing missiles. Chris and Anya immediately jinked and dumped countermeasures to avoid the swarm of missiles.

The Myrmidon used it's temporary advantage to swing in behind Anya. Anya dodged left and right, up and down. The Myrmidon used it's superiors speed and maneuverability to match her every maneuver. She clutched her flight stick in her sweating and shaking hands, desperately trying to avoid the constant barrage. Her shields failed and her ship was hulled. "Chris." She yelled over the comm. "Help me."

Chris swooped in behind the Myrmidon and fired two Trebuchet missiles into the back of it. He didn't need a missile locking system. The Myrmidon was vaporized by the detonation of the two missiles. Anya's fighter was shot to pieces, with one engine completely shot off and pit marks where the Myrmidon had hit it. Chris glanced at his sensor board. The Swords were still intact although the damage had accumulated. Most were below fifty percent. Anya was down to fifteen percent. The Myrmidons were nothing but space debris.

"Those weren't your average everyday Myrmidons." Louis commented.

"No, trust me, they weren't." Anya replied.

"Looked like they were definitely based off the Myrmidon though, just upgraded."

"Upgraded..." Anya snorted. "Overhauled. I've never been so utterly beaten by a anyone."

"Swords." The freighter transmitted. "The Iceni has been captured and Admiral Aken Bosch has been captured. We are transmitting subspace coordinates to you that will take you to the rear of your fleet. We are departing now." The two freighters un-docked from the Iceni and entered subspace.

Coordinates appeared in Chris's nav computer. He transmitted them to his the rest of the Swords. "Anya, can you make subspace?"

"Yeah," Anya replied, "subspace drives are still online."

"Then let's go."

The Swords entered subspace. They were in subspace for only a second before coming out of it just beyond the Fire Dawn. The Fire Dawn was not as they had left it. It's once gleaming hull was pitted with impact craters and beam cannon rifts along it's hull. The front end was breach, bodies floating into space.

"Swords, we need you in Perseus fighter. Get into the hanger now!" Admiral Sean Loyde's voice was washed out with static.

Chris led the Swords into the hanger. They set down quickly and all jumped out of their fighters. Technicians were busy preparing the only remaining group of fighters in the hanger. A squadron of Perseus fighters, bearing the squadron seal of the 99th Skulls. They were painted jet black. Chris climbed into the lead fighter. He powered up the systems and shot into space, his squadron right behind him.

As they exited the hanger, they were assailed by a wing of Destroyer fighters. Chris accelerated to full and fired a pair of Harpoons into the lead Destroyer fighter. Anya blew the fight away with renewed vigor as the other Swords destroyed the rest of the Destroyer fighters.

Suddenly, subspace apertures appeared above the GTVSA fleet. Two Vausdan Hapshetsut destroyers, three Typhon destroyers, eight Sobek corvettes, and ten Mentu cruisers exited subspace. They immediately opened fire on the destroyer fleet. Fighter squadrons began pouring from their bays. fleet Then the GTD Battlehound exited subspace just beyond the Fire Dawn. It raced towards the Destroyer .

"All ships," the lead Vasudan destroyer transmitted. "Clear the blast zone. You must be at least five kilometers from the Battlehound. This is your only warning."

All of the fighters raced towards their command ships. The Destroyer fighters followed eagerly. Chris led the Swords to cover the Da-Bomb squadron, down five fighters from a wing of Destroyer fighter. The Swords cut the wing of Destroyer fighters to pieces in a single slash attack.

"Detonation in five seconds." The Vasudan destroyer transmitted. "Four, three, two, one..."

The Battlehound exploded in a titanic fireball. Then a massive series of shockwaves ripped through the Destroyer fleet. Hundreds of thousands of Destroyer ships were blown apart in the explosion. Only a handful of Frigate sized Destroyer ships remained after the blast. A volley of beam cannon fire from the Vasudan fleet crushed the last remnants of the Destroyer fleet.

Chris breathed in deeply. It was over. The subspace gate shut down. There was a feeling of pride that surged through his soul. "Yahoo!" He yelled, not realize that his comm unit was still on. His statement reverberated through the fleet. They had won, for the first time... the GTVSA had won. It wasn't a temporary victory, it was a titanic victory.

Ten days later. The same forces that had participated in the battle were arrayed at the GTVA shipyards in Vega. The pilots and crews of all the ships were down on the surface of Vega IV arrayed before an audience of twenty five million people. They were in a massive outdoor amphitheater.

Chris stood proudly in front of his squadron, dressed in full dress uniform. They had all been awarded new medals, Heroes of the GTVSA. A brand new medal created for the crews that fought the battle near the subspace gate. The two Shivan pilots looked strange amongst the Swords, but the still held themselves proudly and stood tall on three legs.

Supreme Commander Heward Dobert, GTVA legionary commander stood at a podium aimed at them. A veteran of the Great War, the Supreme Commander was very old. He stood tall though behind the podium. He cleared his throat. "Every man here has fought valiantly against all odds. They are truly, without a doubt, heroes of the GTVA. We gather here to do one thing. To say thank you to the brave men and women." The Supreme Commander stepped down from the podium and began to applaud. He was soon joined by the crowd of spectators, all twenty five million of them.

The Swords assembled in a nearby bar after the ceremony. The Shivans pilots were carefully trying various forms of drinks, none really appealing to them. RaNah was drinking an obscure Vasudan drink, the rest of the Swords had various human beverages.

Chris had his arm around Anya's shoulders as she leaned gently against him. Louis came over, hand in hand with Amy. "So, where's our next assignment." Louis asked.

"You're assignment is vacation." Chris replied.

"And you?"

"I'm retiring, going back to Delta Serpentis."

"Why? You're a perfect choice for Commodore."

"Commodore's a desk job. Not to mention, I'm getting married."

"So... is this the end of the Swords?"

"I doubt it. The Swords are the people sure, but they're also an undying force. They are always going to be there. No matter who is in command. No matter who is leading them."

"Make sure you keep in touch." For once, there was no sarcasm in Louis's voice.

"It won't be the say without you and Anya." Amy added.

"Don't worry." Anya replied. "We'll visit you."

"Do you have any idea who you place in command?" Louis asked.

"Surprisingly enough." Chris replied. "I was thinking of you."

"Me! You've got to be kidding. I'm the biggest screw up in the galaxy."

"Yeah Louis." Jack added. "That's why he was considering not actually making you."

"Still, consideration is a big step."

"Anyway." Chris said. "The Swords are going to change. RaNah is returning to Vasuda. Our two Shivan pilots will probably go back to their own squadrons. Nick is retiring. Gordon and Franz are returning home to Sirius. Just promise me one thing."

"Anything boss."

"If you get a tight ass regulations person in your squadron, make sure you break him in to the reality of Louis."

"I'm almost hoping we have someone like that."

They all laughed. They all laughed deep into the night.

_**THE END**_

Commander Amy Junique banked her fighter gently around the station. She was on standard patrol. The GTD Fire Dawn, GTD Fire Dance, and GTD Fire Dusk rested silently near the Knossos construction site. Amy was thirty years old, a space veteran, with over two hundred kills to her credit. For a long time, it had drained her life. Now, it reinvigorated her. Her wingmate, Captain Louis Alba, was her strongest supporter, and her lover.

She was a brown hair woman with a finely tuned body. She was strapped securely into her Perseus Mk II fighter's cramped cockpit. She had become a commander of the 77th Swords just after the Subspace Gate incident just one year prior. She was one of only a handful of the original Swords still left after that. Jack Johnston was flying Alpha 3, and Syndey Burkman was flying Alpha 4. They alone, were the remaining members of the squadron. The rest of the pilots had been drawn from other squadrons.

Her sensors chimed as a subspace aperture appeared. Two freighters exited and moved towards the constructions site. She moved in to scan them, as was procedure. Her ship's alarms wailed when the freighters began shooting at her. She jinked left to avoid the shots. Louis, Jack, and Sydney quickly turned the freighters into dust.

"What the hell just happened?" She asked.

"Hang on." Admiral Sean Loyde on the GTD Fire Dawn replied. "Oh my god... no!"

The Knossos construction site suddenly began to detonate. Internal explosions ripped through the half completed construction.

"Shit!" Louis yelled. "This is not good."

_No, this isn't. _Amy thought to herself.

_Author's Note: Please take time to review the story as a whole, I accept Anonymous reviews, so don't worry if you can't log in. Give me any advice and pointers you can so that Freespace 2: The Reunification can be even better the Freespace 2: Devestation._

_Thank you for your time and support on this project_

_Cpt. Ritter_


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